Blue Moon
by N.I.B
Summary: Remus, Sirius and James meet a beautiful new girl on the Hogwarts Express, Lily is showing her around and almost everyone in fourth year has a deadly secret or hidden agenda. Very interesting...read it if you dare!
1. The Beginning

Blue Moon  
  
"Remus is on a roll," Sirius chirped as he dealt out the fifth hand of exploding snap.  
  
"Fourth game I've won today," he said a little sleepily.  
  
"If I didn't know better buddy, I'd say you'd been getting some lessons during the summer," James smiled as he picked up his cards.  
  
"James, you know me too well!" Remus let out a little laugh and the other two rolled their eyes. For James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, this was where the year always began, on the Hogwarts Express, playing exploding snap and exchanging stories of how their holidays went. This was their fourth year that they would be making the journey together to Hogwarts. None of them knew though, just how challenging this year was going to be.   
  
"So how's Lily," Sirius said as he elbowed James.  
  
"I wouldn't know, haven't spoken to her since school ended," he shrugged.  
  
"What!! You bring shame to the name boyfriend!" he said sarcastically and Remus laughed.  
  
"I'm not her boyfriend Sirius! How many times do I have to explain that to you! We're just good friends." He hid his face, so that the other two couldn't see him turn the colour of an overripe tomato.  
  
"Yeah and my surname's White," Sirius said under his breath.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing," he said as he scratched the back of his neck.  
  
"Where's Peter?" Remus suddenly said. They all looked around and exchanged puzzled looks.  
  
"Well wherever he is I hope he stays there," Sirius said, irritably.  
  
"Come on, you don't mean that," Remus sighed.  
  
"Yes I do! The guy always hangs around us, like he's got nothing else to do."  
  
"He doesn't Sirius, that's the problem," Remus said sympathetically.  
  
"Look Remus, I'm not nice like you. I tell it like it is, and he annoys me. James agrees with me, don't you James, James?" Sirius watched James as his eyes followed Lily, who had just walked past their seat.  
  
"Huh?" he said as Sirius elbowed him.  
  
"Man, please stop day-dreaming about Lily for two seconds and help me out here." James opened his mouth to argue, but closed it when all three of them were interrupted.  
  
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Lily Evans. Do you know her?" All three of them jerked their heads towards the quiet voice, and the looks on their faces dropped to pure astonishment. In front of them was a tallish girl, who looked no older than them. She had large blue eyes and very long, dead straight brown hair. The lines of her face were very warm and comforting and she smiled at them while they gaped.  
  
"Do you know her?" she said again, in a little laugh. Sirius, who had managed to close his mouth, opened it again, but nothing seemed to come out and James looked as if he was about to faint from shock, but then a voice from behind them suddenly spoke up.  
  
"Yes we do, she just walked past," Remus said calmly, as though she was very ordinary.  
  
"Thanx so much. I'm Blue Adams by the way," she said, extending a hand.  
  
"Remus Lupin," he said shaking it, "And this is Sirius Black and James Potter."  
  
"Nice to meet you." She smiled sweetly at them and Sirius was so stunned, he even turned around, just to make sure it was actually him she was talking to.  
  
"Well I have to find Lily, she's showing me around. I guess I'll see you," she looked at Remus and grinned before walking in the opposite direction.  
  
"What was that?!" Sirius gasped as she closed the compartment door behind her.  
  
"I have no idea, but I liked it," James said still staring after her.  
  
"Sod off mate, I saw her first. Besides, Lily will be very upset," James who had already made a pass towards Sirius was stopped dead in his tracks as Remus spoke.  
  
"Really you two, what's the big deal?" They both looked at him as though he had committed the biggest crime against man.  
  
"Big deal? Remus she's a goddess!! Did you even look at her?" Sirius said as James nodded opposite him.  
  
"Well if I recall properly, I was the only one who talked to her. Besides, I don't think she wants to be gawked at like that, like an object. She is a person."  
  
"Thank you for that little speech Professor Lupin, much appreciated." Sirius said sarcastically and they all laughed.  
  
"We'll see later. If Lily's taking her around, then she's definitely in our year," Remus said to Sirius.   
  
Just then, the train started to come to halt and everyone was scrambling to get to their bags.  
  
"Well guys, this is it. The start of another glorious year!" James said as he dragged his bags along the corridor.  
  
"Don't remind me," Sirius whined as he followed behind Remus.  
  
"Who knows," Remus said as he led them all out the compartment, "it might actually be a good one."   
  
Author's Notes This is my first fanfic I thought I'd post. It'll get a lot more interesting, trust me. I've planned this story so that there are going to be many more chapters to come! If you could also review the story I'd be eternally grateful! Constructive criticism is a good thing! :) I've also been reading a lot of the Lily/James stories on this site and I must say, that some of them a VERY, VERY good! There are some excellent writers out there! Keep on doing your stuff! :) 


	2. Making friends

  
  
"...And as I look down on you all, I want to take this chance to wish you a very challenging, yet fulfilling year. Now, let's eat!" Dumbledore said as he finished the last words of his dwindling speech.  
"It's about time!" said Sirius, who sank his knife and fork into a piece of lamb.  
"Aaaah, school food, what a legend!" James said as he took a swig of his pumpkin juice.  
"Got any room for us?" came Lily's familiar voice. James, Sirius and Remus looked up to see Lily with Arabella Figg, her best friend, and Blue Adams, the enchanting girl they had met on the train. James immediately moved up so that Lily could sit next to him and Arabella sat next to her.  
  
"Should I remain standing?" Blue joked as she looked down at the already squashed bench.  
"Well, there is my lap," Sirius winked, who had torn himself away from his food to look at Blue.  
"On second thought-" but before she could finish her sentence, Remus had settled a chair down in front of her.  
"Thought you might want this," he smirked. Sirius looked up at him with an awed look spread across his face. None of them had even seen him get the chair.  
"Thanx Remus," she said, smiling at him with her large mystifying eyes. She moved the chair so it was in between Remus and Sirius and then sat down.  
  
"So I see you've already met," Lily said, breaking the obvious connection Remus had made.  
"Yeah on the train, she was looking for you Lil," James said. Lily beamed at James and he got a little flushed.  
"Do any of you know what happened to Peter? Why wasn't he on the train?" Remus said looking around at everyone.  
"Well, McGonagall wanted to see us in her office after the sorting and just as we left, he entered. It shouldn't be long before he comes out," said Arabella twirling a strand of curly hair in between two fingers.  
"So you're in Gryffindor. How does it feel to be in the winning house then?" Sirius said, as he turned to Blue.  
"Seeing as I've only been in it for about ten minutes, I wouldn't actually know." Everyone laughed. But a cold harsh voice shattered the warm atmosphere.  
  
"Trust me girl, you would've been much better off in Slytherin." They all turned around to face Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape who had decided to pay them a beginning of year visit.  
"Excuse me Malfoy what was that? It sounded more like a hiss than actual speaking. How many times have I told you, Parseltounge isn't your language," Sirius said in a comforting tone.  
"Very funny Black. I see you and your friends are back for another year. Too bad you didn't get expelled," he said mockingly.   
"Is that all you can come up with Malfoy cause that one's a little old. Loosing your touch?" James said.  
Severus opened his mouth to say something but Sirius gave him a scornful look and he took a little step back. Lucius moved forward until he was next to Blue and looked her up and down.   
  
"So you're Blue Adams, exactly what I expected," he said, trailing a finger down the side of her face.  
"Don't touch her," snarled Remus who had moved like lightening and was now standing in front of Blue. The look on Remus' face was utter repulsion and Lucius was so taken aback he moved away.  
"Just a warning Adams, you don't want to mix with these Mudbloods and Muggle lovers," he said as he gave Lily a look full of disgust. James moved forward but Lily held him back by his robes.  
  
"You know what?" Blue said, getting up and walking over to Lucius so that they were two inches apart. Everyone at the table was looking at her with entire bewilderment as she moved her mouth to his ear and whispered,  
"I'd rather be with them than with a total freak and a grease-ball that I can smell from over here." Sirius, James and Remus burst out laughing instantaneously and the two girls gave a little chuckle. Blue took her seat again and smiled politely at Lucius and Severus.  
"In time you'll see you made the wrong choice," Severus said quietly.  
"I doubted," Sirius said to Severus in such a stern voice he shuddered a little.  
"I'll be waiting," Lucius said to Blue as he and Severus moved away.  
  
"Oooo those two give me the creeps!" Arabella shivered. Sirius put a protective arm around her and gave her a little hug.  
"Well Blue, you must hang around with us more often. We have a lot of confrontations with the terrible two and we could use you," Sirius said very admiringly.  
"I'd be honoured," Blue said sarcastically as she put her two hands onto her chest. Everyone laughed and as Blue helped herself to some potatoes, she couldn't help but notice Remus glancing at her from out the corner of her eye. He smiled at her and for the first time in a while, she blushed.  
  
  
*Authors Notes* Well, it's coming along, I had a little bit of writers block but I'm okay now! :) Thank you to thumper and Gwen who were the ONLY two people who reviewed the first chapter!! People constructive criticism (and nice comments too!) is what authors thrive on, so help us out here! Remus Rocks (I thought it was time to give him a lurve interest!) :)   



	3. Getting to know you

  
  
It had been a long day and after a big meal, everyone trailed up the Gryffindor common room for a good night's rest. The Fat Lady, who had been snoozing in her portrait jumped as Sirius poked her frame.  
"Back are we Mr Black?" she said suspiciously.  
"Yes m'am," he said, as he gave her a soldier salute. "Now we can get that dinner I promised you last year." As he winked at her, she turned the darkest shade of red and swung forward on her hinges without even receiving the password.  
"The password's Orange Marmalade by the way," she called after the gang.  
"Thanx," Arabella said over her shoulder. There weren't many people in the common room, so the guys all decided to go to their rooms and get some sleep.  
"Night all," Sirius said, as he dragged his tired body up the stairs.  
"Night Lil," James said to Lily. She blew him a kiss and he disappeared into the dormitory quite fast and quite embarrassed. Even after the door was closed they could still hear Sirius laughing.  
  
"Blue, our rooms are this way," Arabella said to her, advancing up the opposite staircase.  
"I'm coming Bella," she smiled at her. Arabella and Lily entered into the girls' dormitory and when she heard the door close, Blue moved towards the fire and sat down in a large, cosy sofa. She stretched out her hands and warmed them over the fire.  
"Going to bed any time soon?"  
"OO!! Remus, you scared me," she said putting a hand to her heart.  
"I'm sorry," he smiled. She patted one hand softly onto the empty space next to her and he sat down.  
"It's okay. I thought you went to bed," she said quietly.  
"Nah, I don't feel tired." He stared into the fire and a silence settled upon the common room. Blue drew her legs up to her chest and cradled them with her arms. A few seconds past, before the fire crackled and they both jumped.  
  
"So," they both said at the same time. Blue laughed and a wide grin spread across Remus' face.  
"You first," she said to him.  
"Okay. Tell me about yourself." He looked at her and the expression on her face changed completely.  
"Not much to say actually." She paused and looked into the fire. Her blue eyes reflected the light so well and Remus thought he could look at her all night.  
"Grew up in India, um, mother witch, father wizard. I come from one of those 'pure blood' families," she not taking her eyes off the fire. Remus thought, by the way she said it she didn't actually care.  
  
"I Came to Hogwarts this year because my parents finally gave in to Dumbledore's wishes. He sent them a letter at the start of every year, asking my parents if they would let me enrol. But my parents ignored it, cause they don't agree with the methods in which Dumbledore runs this school." There was another little silence as Remus waited for her to continue. He studied her profile as she pondered, not taking her eyes off the fire for a second.   
"I needed to get away from them. Ever since I got the first letter, I've been dying to come here. When I got the letter at the beginning of this year, I argued with them until they agreed." She stopped talking and sighed, sinking a little deeper into the sofa.  
"I'm glad they did," Remus said.  
"Me too." Blue gazed up at him, for the first time since she first looked into the fire. She moved her legs and lay down, putting her head in Remus' lap. He stroked her silky hair and she listened to his breathing until her eyes became so heavy that she drifted off to sleep.  
  
  
*Author's Notes* I wrote this while I was listening to that song from 'Save the Last Dance' called 'All or Nothing'. Very good song I must say!! :) So I'm not going to speak about reviews cause people don't review mine, *tear*. But if you can find it in your heart, please give me some info. Tell me if I suck or not!! Well I realised that I didn't put disclaimers in my other stories so I want to say now that everything in this story (with the exception of Blue Adams) belongs to J.K. Rowling. She's fab! :)   
  



	4. Secret identity

  
  
The light streamed in through the windows and Blue threw her hands over her eyes to shield them.  
"Too much sun," she moaned as she hid her face.  
"What time did you get to bed?" Blue heard Arabella chuckle as she drew the curtains closed.  
"Huh?" Blue squeaked as she realised that she was, in fact, lying in her own bed.  
"Lily and I stayed up really late and when we went to bed, you still weren't back," she said, sitting down on Blue's bed.  
"To tell the truth, the last thing I remember about last night was talking to Remus and then-"  
"I see," Arabella cooed, running a hand through her curly ash blond hair.  
"Bella, it's not what you think, really. We were talking and then, I fell asleep," Blue said, a little puzzled.  
"Well, let's go down to breakfast and ask Remus for some answers eh?" she smiled.   
  
Blue pulled the covers away from her and reluctantly got out of bed. She got dressed into her Hogwarts robes and as she was brushing her hair and looking in the mirror, Lucius' words came back to haunt her 'exactly what I expected'. The words rang so clearly in her mind and she didn't even notice her brush slip silently out of her hands. So he knows, she thought to herself. She felt her anger starting to build up inside her and when she looked at her reflection again, it started to swirl round and round and her eyes glowed a deep, dark blue.   
  
"Blue, you okay?" Came Arabella's voice.  
"I'm fine," she looked back at the mirror and her reflection was normal again.  
"So how about that breakfast then?" Blue asked placing a hairpin in her hair.  
"Good idea," Arabella said smiling. She opened the portrait and stepped out first with Blue following behind her. Should I tell them? Would it make a difference? She thought over and over again as her and Arabella walked down to breakfast. As they entered the hall, Arabella hooked her arm into Blue's and they walked to the Gryffindor table where everyone was already seated.  
  
"Morning," Sirius said through a mouthful of toast. Blue smiled at everyone and as she gazed round the table, saw that there was an extra face among them.  
"This is Peter Pettigrew, Blue," James said, noticing her expression.  
"Hi, Blue Adams," she said politely, but to her utmost surprise he stared wide-eyed at her and then scrambled away from the table as fast his little legs could carry him.  
"Rude," Arabella said, looking at him scurry away.  
"What was that all about?" Sirius asked very confused.  
"No idea," Blue lied. He probably knows too. I can't tell them, not now. She thought as she took a seat next to Lily.  
  
"Ready for class?" Lily asked her enthusiastically.  
"I guess. I hope I won't be too far behind though. The school I came from taught different things."  
"Well you haven't had class yet. You never know. I doubt the methods of teaching are that different," Lily smiled as she handed Blue her timetable.  
"Thanx," Blue muttered.   
  
She placed her timetable in-between her lips and raised her hands to fix her hairpin that had slipped out. But her timetable slipped out of her mouth and fluttered down onto the ground. She bent to pick it up and as she put her hand on it, another person put their hand on top of hers. It was so warm and she looked up to see Remus staring at her.  
"Morning," he smiled and Blue thought she was going to melt.  
"Hi," she said, as she pushed the hair out of her eyes.  
"Ready for your first day?"  
"I think. Listen, last night-"  
"I carried you up to your bed, couldn't just leave you there," he grinned.  
"Oh, right," she felt her cheeks getting hot and she immediately hung her head. She was so glad when Sirius spoke cause it gave her a reason to look up again.  
  
"This school really wants to kill us!" he yelled as he glanced at his timetable.  
"Double potions first lesson, with the Slytherins!" Arabella gasped, her curly hair bouncing as she talked.  
"Exactly what I meant. James, I've been thinking up a way to get Professor Baldwin back for what he did to us last year. Remus! Come here!" Sirius called from the other end of the table.  
"I'll see you at potions," he said to Blue as he walked to the other end of the table.  
"Well Blue, Bella, let's leave the men to talk," Lily said sarcastically as she hit James on the back of the head.  
"I will get you back!" He called after her.  
"I'll be waiting," Lily said to him as all three of them disappeared out the hall. James got so excited he almost jumped up from the table, but Sirius' voice brought him back to his senses.  
  
"Pay attention James, stop thinking with your-"  
"Sirius is this going to take all day?" Remus said sternly.  
"Someone's desperate to get to potions," Sirius replied.  
"It's just that-" But before he could finish Blue came rushing back into the dinning room.  
"Excuse me," she said as she stretched a hand past Remus, to where her hairpin was lying. Before she walked away she gave Remus a little smile and he grinned from ear to ear. Sirius saw this very clearly.  
"By the way Remus old pal, where were you last night?" he asked suspiciously.  
"Couldn't sleep," was all Remus said.  
"I see." Sirius nodded at James, both of whom knew perfectly well why their friend had a grin wider than the Amazon River on his face.  
  
  
*Authors Notes* I'm starting to like this stories more and more every time I write a chapter!! It's so cool...anyway please comment on my story, I love to hear what you guys think. As usual, J.K. Rowling owns everything in the story (except for Blue) and I just I love writing! :) Oh by the way, I'm really trying to make my chapters longer, but when I get inspiration I just have to write, and if my inspiration lasts for two pages, then so be it! :)   



	5. All is revealed

  
  
"Today will be a theory lesson, so could everyone take out their textbooks and we will begin," said Professor Baldwin from the front of the classroom. Well if you could call it a classroom. What had formerly been a dungeon was now the potions classroom, and by the look on everyone's faces (well everyone except for the Slytherins) it wasn't exactly their favourite subject. Lily, Arabella, Blue and Kendra Valla (another Gryffindor girl) all sat at the table second from the back. The back table was reserved for the four pranksters that hadn't arrived, much to Professor Baldwin's delight. It gave him an excuse to give out freebie detentions and take points away from the house he despised the most, Gryffindor. Seeing as Professor Baldwin was the head of Slytherin he didn't think twice about point deductions. He was a tall, gangly man, with long spindly fingers that were very good for pointing out people who caused trouble. He had tiny, beady eyes that were set deep in their sockets and a stubby nose that looked as if it still had to grow a lot to catch up with the rest of his body. Nobody also forgot to point out that he was a real pain in the ass.  
  
"Aaaah, Mr Black, Mr Lupin, Mr Potter and Mr Pettigrew. How nice of you to join us," Professor Baldwin said slowly in a slimy tone.  
"Pleasure Professor, we were going to stop of for a quick snack, but Mr Potter had already eaten," Sirius said, patting James' shoulder.   
"Sit down!!" Professor Baldwin snapped at the four of them. Peter dashed to his seat while the other three took their time. Arabella was laughing at them and Lily elbowed her to keep quiet but it was too late, Professor Baldwin had heard her.  
"Something amusing Miss Figg?" he said, looking up from his textbook.  
"No," she squeaked, but he was already moving toward her.  
"Maybe an afternoon scrubbing floors will teach you that there is nothing amusing about being late," Professor Baldwin spat at her. The look on her face was pure fear and she was shaking a little.  
  
"Professor, she didn't mean to laugh," came a quiet voice from next to Arabella. Everyone's heads whipped around at the sound of Blue's voice.  
"Be quiet girl, this doesn't concern you!" Professor Baldwin said, not even looking at Blue.  
"I'm just trying to say that-"  
"WILL YOU SHUT-" but as he turned to look at Blue, their eyes met, he immediately straightened up and the look on his face turned to total serenity.  
"I'm very sorry my dear. Please accept my apology for shouting at you. Miss Figg, try to abstain from laughing in my class again." Arabella removed her hands that were covering her eyes and nodded. Professor Baldwin returned to the front of the classroom and everybody stared at Blue. From the looks on people's faces they were more astonished because Professor Baldwin had said the words 'sorry' and 'apology' than anything else. Half the school would've assumed those words weren't in his vocabulary.   
  
"Whatever you did, I owe you," Arabella whispered excitedly. Blue looked back down at her book and didn't take her eyes off it for a few minutes. She could feel pairs of eyes staring at her, as if burning wholes through her body. When she did look up to the front of the classroom, she happened to see Lucius Malfoy staring straight at her. He gave her a malicious smile and she quickly looked away. Lucius knows, he has to know. God why did I do that to Professor Baldwin? They're going to find out. All these thoughts were racing through her mind, and as she was thinking, the fact that most people were still looking at her and Professor Baldwin's constant talking didn't matter. She was in her own world, wrapped up in her thoughts.  
  
"Hey, Blue. The lesson's over," she heard Lily say to her. As she began to come back to the classroom she realised that most of the students were gone and Professor Baldwin had already left.  
"I didn't even realise," she said putting one hand on her forehead.  
"Are you okay?" Lily asked, bending down to look at her. Blue looked around and saw that Sirius, James, Remus and Arabella were all waiting for her. Not surprising, Peter wasn't with them.  
  
"Couldn't even go one day without bewitching anybody, could you Adams?" They all heard Lucius Malfoy's voice ring out as he made his way towards the door.  
"Don't talk rubbish Malfoy," Sirius snapped, but to his surprise a tiny sly smile spread across Lucius' lips.  
"So they don't know. Why Adams, you sneaky little thing," he sneered at her. Blue's head started to spin and she clutched her forehead with both hands.  
"Please don't," she said looking up at him, her big blue eyes full of gloom.  
"It doesn't work on me remember, I'm a pureblood."  
"I was going to tell them, but-"  
"There's always a but, isn't there," he said. Blue looked as if she was about to burst into tears and Lily put a soothing arm around her shoulder.  
  
"I wouldn't get too close if I were you, she might curse you," Lucius gestured to Lily.  
"Shut up," Remus suddenly said. " I don't want to hear another false word out of your filthy mouth Malfoy."  
"Me? False!" he said pointing a finger at his chest. "No, no Lupin. She's the false one or should I say fake." He pointed at Blue and she rose slowly from her chair.  
"Remus listen to me," she said quickly.  
"How would you feel Adams, if all your little friends found out you bewitched people. That your own parents think you're a danger to yourself and everyone around you." The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed and silent tears began to stream down Blue's cheeks.   
"Remus, I wanted to tell you," she blubbed through her tears but he didn't seem to be listening to her.  
"Or that you had no choice to come here, because they kicked you out your old school. Why was it again? Oh yes, it was because you accidentally killed one of your friends, that's right, isn't it. I heard you got a little angry and poof, she was gone."   
  
The dynamic sparkle that was ever present in Blue's eyes had now vanished and they were so dark, they almost looked black. She wiped the tears off her cheeks and picked up her books. She didn't want to look at anyone for fear of seeing the expression on his or her face. Everyone stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to say. Blue walked to the door and stopped when Lucius spoke again.  
"Dumbledore had no right bringing you here." Maybe it was what he said, or the way he had said it but the next thing Lucius knew, Remus had dived on top of him and was continuously punching him in the face. Arabella screamed as Sirius rushed forward to pull Remus off Lucius. James helped Sirius hold Remus back, who was just fighting his way out of their grip to get back at Lucius, who really looked a mess. His nose was dripping with blood, he couldn't open his one eye properly and his robes had been pulled in twenty different directions by Remus who was trying to hold onto him. Lucius touched his nose and removed a hand, full of blood.  
  
"Scared of the truth are you?" he laughed, getting up from the floor and straightening his robes.  
"Get out of here Malfoy," Sirius barked at him, still fighting to hold Remus back. Lucius wasted no time in retreating and as soon as he was a good distance away, Sirius and James let go of Remus. Lily shut the door and stood in front of it, so Remus couldn't get through. Remus turned around and stared at Sirius.  
"Let me go after him, let me smash that little bastard's face in," he pleaded with Sirius.  
"He's probably gone right to McGonagall, and you expect me to let you go after him?" Sirius said in disbelief.  
  
"What was that all about?" James asked, looking at Remus.  
"He fed us some crap story about Blue being a mind controller," Remus said in fury.  
"It's not true right Blue, Blue?" Lily said looking around.  
"Where is she?" Remus asked.   
"She left just as you jumped on Lucius," Arabella said softly, looking a little shaken by the whole thing.  
"We have to find her," Remus said frantically.  
"Go find her Remus, we'll cover for you in Transfiguration. Go!" Sirius said firmly. Remus darted out the dungeon like lightening and left everyone standing there, to wrestle with their thoughts.  
  
  
*Authors Notes* I'm going to hurry up and make this quick so I can write the next chapter!! I don't own anything…J.K. does. Do the right thing- REVIEW!!! Remus Rocks! Keep cool and keep on reading!! :)  



	6. It doesn't matter

  
  
Remus had absolutely no idea where he was going. Even though the Marauder's Map was almost finished, he didn't have a clue as to where he should start looking for Blue. He went to the hall and then to up to the common room. She wasn't in either of those places. Because it was only the first day of school, Remus reckoned it was very easy for her to get lost, so he decided the only place left to search, would be outside. He took one of the long, secret corridors that Sirius had found early in their second year, which led all the way out to the grounds below the castle. In the distance he could see Hagrid's cabin and the Forbidden Forest beyond that. Finally, after about twenty minutes of searching through endless bushes and squishy puddles Remus gave up. He made his way to the lake and sat down on the bank beside it. There was no point in going up to Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall would get hold of him one way or another.   
  
Suddenly he heard a rustling noise in the bushes behind him and he was on his feet looking around.  
"Anyone there?" he said out aloud and to his relief Blue came strolling out from behind a tree. She looked a terrible. Her eyes were completely red, her hair was a little ruffled and her face was colourless. Remus couldn't tell what she was thinking because her face was expressionless. She looked up at him and began crying all over again. Remus walked up to her and she flung her arms around his neck. Remus hugged her tightly around the waist as she sobbed into his shoulder.  
"I-I didn't m-mean to," she stammered, looking up at Remus.  
"You don't have to say anything," he said quietly, smoothing her hair.  
"But M-Malfoy was right," she sniffed. "Everything he said w-w-was true." Remus looked kindly at her and wiped the tears off her face.  
"It doesn't matter. None of us think differently about you," he assured her and Remus was almost sure that he saw a sparkle flicker in her eye.  
  
"I wanted to tell you but I thought you'd-"  
"Shhh," Remus said putting a finger to her lips. "You're our friend Blue and nothing anyone says will change that." She hugged him again and then looked up at him and said,  
"I think we should get back so I can set the record straight." Remus nodded and they walked hand-in-hand back to the common room. The rest of the day past peacefully enough, but there wasn't another lesson where they were all together. So Remus told everyone to meet in the library before dinner.   
  
When they had all arrived and were seated Blue stood up and took a deep breath.  
"Thank you for coming. You've all been such good friends to me and I don't think I've been that honest with you. Half of what Malfoy said is true, the other half, well, you can decided from what I tell you." She stopped for a moment; just to make sure she had everyone's attention, then continued.  
"I was 'gifted' as people called it, with the power to control certain people minds. Certain people being Muggles and Half Muggles. I call it a curse. My parents sent me to a special school where I learnt to develop my powers. But, as Malfoy so brilliantly pointed out, I was expelled because I killed one of my friends." She paused and looked down.  
"She said something about my mother and I lost it. All that was left was dust. My parents didn't want me after that so they replied to the letter Dumbledore sent them. Now I'm living here with my aunt." Remus who was sitting next to her found her hand and held it tightly under the table.  
  
"Blue, we would've never ignored you because of that," Lily said warmly.  
"Yeah, I mean mind controlling, wow! Imagine what you could make Professor Baldwin do- ow!!" Sirius said as Arabella kicked him. Blue smiled and squeezed Remus' hand.  
"I just needed to tell you, so that you wouldn't get the wrong idea-"  
"Don't worry honey, none of us is EVER going to believe Malfoy over you," Arabella added. James nodded and said,  
"Peter knew didn't he? That's why he kept running away from you."  
"Yeah he did. I don't know how though," Blue shrugged. She felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders by telling all of them.  
"I'm in the mood for some pumpkin juice, what do you say James?" Sirius said as he hit James on the back.  
"School food, what a legend!" James said and they laughed.  
"It that like his trademark?" Blue asked as the entered the hall.  
"You have no idea," Lily laughed.  
  
  
*Authors Notes* Okay so this chapter was a little bit mushy, but hey, can you blame me! Thanx to everybody who reviewed, you guys are fab!!! :) As usual, J.K. owns everything, except for Blue. I'll go and start on the next chapter now!   



	7. Eavesdropper alert

  
  
The fact that Blue was a mind controller swept the school in half a lesson and by the end of the third day, everybody knew. Sirius and James thought the whole thing was quite amusing.  
  
"Okay, so when he comes around the corner, you- er- zap him, or whatever and we'll stick the sign to his back," Sirius kept saying as they walked from Transfiguration.  
"I think if you tell me one more time, my head's going to explode," Blue sighed.  
"We can't do it today Sirius!" James suddenly said, stopping dead in his tracks.  
"Why?"  
"Quidditch practice," James said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
"Oh! Right! I'm sorry Blue we'll have to postpone our little adventure for another time."  
"Another plan to make Professor Baldwin look like an idiot?" Remus' said as came round the corner with Peter trailing behind him.  
"You guessed it buddy. Hey Remus, you coming to Quidditch practice? We need to fill some spots, because of all the seventh years that left," Sirius said.  
"I just might. Blue you gonna come?" he asked, turning to her.  
"Well, I've never been much of a flyer, but, I'll give it a try," she smiled.  
  
"Hi Blue," Peter said timidly from behind Remus.  
"Oh hello Peter."  
"Listen, Blue, I'm very sorry for acting weird around you but- I thought- you-"  
"It's okay, really don't worry," she said to him. Peter looked so relieved that he relaxed his hunched shoulders and actually looked at her properly for the first time.  
"Well, I have to meet Arabella in the library. I guess I'll see you guys at Quidditch practice this afternoon then," she smiled at all of them.  
"Bye," they all chirped at the same time. When Blue arrived at the library, Arabella was already seated, playing, as she always did, with perfectly pampered hair.  
  
"Hey Bella," Blue said, as she put her books down on the table.  
"Hi Blue," Arabella replied, looking a little anxious.  
"So, what's the big secret calling me here?" Blue said sarcastically.  
"Well, I've tried talking to Lily about this, but she doesn't get it. Maybe it's because James understands her-"  
"Bella is this going anywhere?" Blue said puzzled.  
"Yes. I need some info, and a big favour. If you don't want to I understand but-"  
"What is it?" Blue interrupted.  
"Has Sirius ever mentioned me? Ever?"  
"Of course he has."  
"In a friendly way a suppose," she said dimly.  
"Well he's always saying 'Bella wouldn't do it like that' or 'why doesn't Bella do Muggle Studies, I don't know what this is'"  
"He would say that," she sighed.  
"I'm sensing major stress vibes from your side of the room," Blue said imitating Professor Trelawney. Arabella gave a little chuckle and lightened up again.   
  
Then suddenly she turned her head and looked at the bookshelf suspiciously.  
"What's wrong?" Blue asked her.  
"Nothing. I thought I heard something."  
"Anyway, it's Quidditch practice this afternoon and Sirius and going to be there. Why don't you come and bring Lily as well," Blue suggested.  
"She's going anyway to watch her beloved James."  
"So why don't you come and watch your beloved Sirius," Blue said simply. Arabella opened her mouth to argue but shut it when she realised Blue was right.  
"Okay, I'll come. Are you coming?"  
"I'm trying out for the team, that's going to be a joke," she laughed, picking up her books and getting reading to leave.  
"Well, you never know. You might turn out to be good," Arabella said believingly, walking behind her.  
"Whatever. I've only ridden a broom once, at that's when I was in India. Why did I ever agree to this," she whined. Arabella put an arm around her shoulder and they walked out muttering to each other. Neither of the girls noticed Severus Snape slip out from behind the bookcase they had been sitting in front of, grinning evilly to himself.  
  
  
*Authors Notes* If you don't get why he's grinning evilly, you'll just have to wait and find out! WOW! Everyone has been so amazing when it comes to reviewing! Thanx a lot to all you people who do review, you are every author's dream. They were a few questions I quickly want to answer:  
  
*To Pedagogue, fine so Blue is a pretty weird name but I met this girl the other day and her name was Blue so I guess you could say it was inspired by her. (She was born in England, but grew up in India, just a little bit of info!) Another thing, I thought Arabella and Lucius would fit in nicely with my plot so there! Hee hee! :) Thanx for reviewing by the way.  
  
*To Ecco, if you read the second line of the sixth chapter you'll realise that the Map wasn't complete and I seriously don't get why someone would go around calling a werewolf, Moony in public! But that's just my opinion! :)  
  
*To RavenNat, thanx for the tip!  
  
*To Rons hottie (aka jessie low), you totally read my mind about the 'Sirius love thing' and yes it is a tad freaky that she killed her friend but you'll find out a little more about why she did it, in detail later on. I promise!  
  
*And finally, to Svolkame. Yes she is a mind controller and I'm busy writing a chapter to explain about, how she got it, and all that. No it's not a fluke and I think Remus will tell her when he's ready! :)  
  
You guys are all *stars*!  



	8. Qudditch drama

  
  
There were a lot of people gathered on the Quidditch pitch when Remus arrived later that afternoon. A lot of hopefuls, he thought to himself as he strolled over to where James and Sirius were sitting.  
"Hey guys," Remus muttered as he seated himself next to James.  
"Hi Remus," James said. Sirius looked over at him and smirked.   
"Anything on your mind? Or should I say, anyone?" Sirius glanced suspiciously at Remus, but he didn't give it a second thought.  
"No, whom would I be thinking of?" Sirius rolled his eyes.   
"You know when it comes to women Remus, you're as dumb as James," he said sarcastically, ducking to avoid James' broomstick that had been aimed for his head. The three boys carried on their usual conversation but were interrupted when they caught sight of the girls laughing and strolling across the pitch. James straightened up as they got closer and when Lily gave him a smile, Sirius could hear his heart thumping.  
"I can't believe I ever agreed to this," Blue whined as she sat down next to Sirius.   
"Don't stress," Sirius said, putting an arm around her. "Half the people here suck anyway." Everyone burst out laughing and Blue felt a little better. She looked over at Arabella who was talking with Lily, but every now and so often, would glance over at Sirius. Blue shook her head. I've got to do something, she thought. Those two would make a nice couple.   
  
The sudden sight of Madam Hooch ambling into the centre of the field, made everyone get up and begin to do the same. Before she began to follow everyone, Blue moved over to Arabella and whispered in her ear.  
"I've got an idea, and if it works, you'll be sitting on Sirius' lap at supper." Arabella smiled at Blue's words and told her she had her complete faith. Blue hurried over to the group, filled with excitement. This is going to go down so well! She thought as Sirius smiled at her.   
"Sirius, I want to-" but Madam Hooch's final statement caught her off guard.  
"-So, we'll do this is threes, starting in alphabetical order."  
"That's mean's we're probably first," Sirius said, unaware of what she was going to tell him.   
"Better to get it over with," Remus smiled at her. Blue stared at him and felt her cheeks redden.  
"Adams, Black and Darwin," Madam Hooch said and Blue shuddered.  
"Good luck," Sirius said to her as they trailed behind Madam Hooch. "Tell me that thing a little later." He smiled.   
  
They walked a few places until Madam Hooch stopped.   
"This is how it's going to work," she said quietly to the three of them. "I'm going to release the Bludgers and on my mark, you'll fly up and I'll judge how well you bat them. Then, when I've seen enough, I'll release the Snitch. There'll be no Quaffles because we do not need to score points. Try your best," she smiled. Blue looked at Sirius and he was grinning. It's probably the easiest thing he's ever had to do, Blue thought. Then she looked past Sirius and saw a tallish boy who looked about a year or so older than her, leaning on his broomstick. He had spiky, pitch-black hair and a rather attractive profile. She looked at him for a moment and then, as if he could sense she was staring at him, he turned and looked at her. Blue quickly turned away and glanced at Madam Hooch who had already released the Bludgers.  
"On my mark!" she shouted, as all three of them mounted their broomsticks, armed with their bats. When she blew her whistle it echoed so loudly in Blue's ears that her whole body shook. When Blue looked up, the two boys were already heading for the air. She followed, swooping high up and surveying the area from up above. When she saw it was safe to come down, Blue slipped in-between Sirius and they other boy, craftily avoiding a Quaffle. No sooner had she hit one than the whole exercise had become a dance. By the looks of things all three of them had lost themselves in the swirl of broomsticks and bats. Blue darted sideways and swung her bat at what seamed like the hundredth Bludger, and stopped to catch her breath for a few seconds. All of a sudden something gold, glittered, catching her eye and she wiped her head around to see where it had come from. It was heading straight for the other boy, who fortunately hadn't seen it yet. Blue had an urge to call out to Sirius, but he was too far away. So she made a dive for it. The more speed she gained the more she could feel the Snitch in her hand already. The other boy suddenly swerved his broomstick to dodge a Bludger, and without him realising, the tail of his broom hit the snitch hard, knocking it onto a completely different course. Blue had gained too much speed to suddenly come to halt and she could do nothing to stop herself.  
"Look out!" she shouted at the boy who had his back to her. As he turned around and saw Blue, his eyes widened, but he hovered, not stirring and inch. Blue couldn't understand why he hadn't moved, so as a last resort, she tried as hard as she could to break or swerve, but it was no use. She went crashing into the boy and both of them were flung off their broomsticks. Blue hit the ground with a soft bounce, and when she looked down, realised she had landed on top of the other boy. He had broken her fall and probably taken some serious injuries.  
  
"Are you okay?" she said to him, touching the side of his face. He touched the corner of his mouth and wiped away a trickle of blood.  
"I'll live," he said in a soothing voice. Blue looked into his dark brown eyes and her heart skipped a few beats.  
"Blue!!" she heard Sirius shout as he landed in front of her.  
"I'm fine," she said rolling onto her back. Sirius helped her up and as she looked over his shoulder, saw a whole crowd of people rushing towards them.  
"Luke, my man! You okay?" Sirius said kneeling down next to him.   
"Step aside, this boy needs attention," they all heard Madam Pomfrey's voice command. "You took a nasty dive for this lady Mr Darwin. I hope she's worth it," she said to Luke. He looked up at Blue and smiled.  
"Trust me, she is." Their eyes locked for a moment and then Sirius, who ushered Blue away from the medical scene, tore her gaze.  
  
"That was some dive," he said to her, but she appeared not to notice. She tried to focus in front of her but everything was a big blur.  
"Blue? Blue!" Were the last words Blue heard Sirius say, before her body began to shake and the vision before her started to spin. It became a big mass of mixed colour and then everything became black, still and silent.  
  
  
*Author's Notes* It has taken me such a long time to add a chapter to this, and I finally did it! Yay! :) Once again, everything belongs to JK and she's got to hurry with that fifth book!!! Keep on reviewing and I'll start with the next chapter! :)   



	9. Falsely accused

  
  
The aroma of fresh linen and smelling salts filled Blue's head as she woke, lying in the hospital wing. She opened her eyes a little and could see a vague image of a person sitting next to her bed. She squeezed her hand and realised someone was holding it. The person squeezed back and then she heard a chair been scrapped across the floor. She struggled to fully open her eyes, and when she did, saw Remus looking down at her.  
"Remus," she said in a tiny voice.  
"Shhh, you took quite a dive there for that snitch," he said kindly.  
"I-I don't-"  
"You got up to fast, Madam Pomfrey was very annoyed because Sirius didn't know better," Remus moved his chair closer to her and stared into her eyes.  
"How long have I been here?"  
"A few hours, the Quidditch trials went on as normal after you left though. Madam Hooch thought it was pointless to postpone."  
"Oh. Did you try out?" Blue asked, still a little weak. He hesitated before answering.  
"No."  
"Why?"  
"I'd much rather be here with you," Remus smiled at her and for once, she was speechless. He moved towards her and planted a kiss on her forehead.  
"I'll be back," he smiled, getting up and walking to the door. When he left, Blue looked around and realised that she was all alone. She checked her body for any bruises or broken bones, but she seemed to be fine.   
  
Just then, there was a knock at the door.  
"Come in," Blue said as loudly as she could manage. The door creaked open and Sirius poked his head around.  
"Nice to see you up and, um, speaking," he said with a huge grin on his face.  
"Hi Sirius," Blue smiled, waving a hand for him to come inside. He sat down in the seat that Remus had been sitting in, and put his feet up on the bed. Blue looked at his feet and coughed sarcastically. He removed his feet, clearly a bit embarrassed and then spoke.  
"I've got a bone to pick with you," he said seriously and Blue had never heard him speak that way before.  
"What about?"  
"Bella."  
"Oh right, I wanted to tell you about-"  
"So you knew. I don't know why you didn't tell me sooner. It would've saved her making such a fool of herself."  
"What?" Blue said surprised.  
"I guess Remus didn't tell you. Well, a package came for me today and Marc, another boy in our dorm, picked it up. The asshole opened it and it was from Bella," Sirius stopped and stared straight at Blue.  
"So, what's the problem?"  
"Marc is the biggest loud mouth ever to be in Gryffindor. The problem is, that the package was a really soppy poem. And people usually read poems out aloud." Blue's eyes widened and Sirius nodded.  
"He didn't," Blue gasped.  
"Oh yes, right in the middle of the common room where everyone was sitting. Bella was so devastated, she hasn't come out of her dorm since she slammed the door." Blue sank back into her bed and her head started to spin a little.   
"It's all my fault. If I had told you, she wouldn't have done that." There was a little silence before Sirius started drumming his fingers against the arm of the chair.   
"I need to see her," Blue said suddenly, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.  
"But wait, you're still-"  
"I'm fine, if you see Madam Pomfrey, tell her I have something important to do," she said as she pulled her cloak over her shoulders and rushed out the door.   
  
Up and down what seemed like endless flights of stairs she went until she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
"Orange Marmalade," Blue said quickly and when the Fay Lady swung forward, rushed inside. When she got to the dormitory door she turned the handle carefully and took two steps inside. Lily and Arabella were sitting on Lily's bed, talking in hushed voices. When they caught sight of her Arabella stood up.  
"I heard what happened," Blue said simply.  
"Don't even talk to me," Arabella snapped. Blue looked at Lily and she shrugged.  
"What-"  
"Sitting on his lap!! I'm the laughing stock of the whole school Blue!"  
"Wait, you think that I-"  
"I don't get it, why would you do that to me?"  
"Bella!! Calm down, if you would listen, you would realise that I had nothing to do with this!" Arabella looked her straight in the eye and the lines of her face softened.  
"You didn't."  
"No, I've been in the hospital wing all this time. I had an accident at the Quidditch trials and I've been in the hospital wing ever since. I woke up a few moments ago."  
"You did, how come no one told us?" Lily said suddenly a little hurt.  
"But you were there Lil," Blue said.  
"We didn't feel like staying," Lily said to her.  
"It doesn't matter, but there's something very weird going on here," Blue said, looking at both of them in turns.  
"We were alone in the library this afternoon, right?" Arabella said suspiciously, looking at Blue.  
"I didn't see anyone," Blue replied.  
"Wait," Lily gasped, jumping up. "I saw Snape talking to Malfoy today outside the library just before the trials." The three girls exchanged looks and the horror of the matter dawned on them.  
"Remember when I thought I heard something?" Arabella said.  
"Yes, but I dismissed it. Do you think they'd be that cruel?" Blue asked, half misbelieving, half totally shocked.  
"You don't know the half of it," Lily said as her and Arabella exchanged glances. Blue suddenly got this feeling that there was something they weren't telling her, but she laid it to rest.  
"How are we going to prove it though?" Blue said.  
"I've got an idea," Lily said excitedly. "You're both just going to have to trust me."  
Arabella smiled and Blue had no choice but to go along with it.  
"So what do we do?" Arabella asked Lily, wanting to clear her name so badly she could feel it.  
"We need Luke Darwin's help."  
  
  
*Author's Notes* Okay not a lot of time to chat… I want to get started on the next chapter, but I would like to say a HUGE thanx to everyone who reviewed!! :) Without you I'd be lost. This story if definitely going to take and interesting turn, mark my words! :)   



	10. Plan in action

  
  
Due to the unfortunate circumstances that Arabella was faced with, she did not leave her room for anything or anyone that night. So, at dinnertime, Lily and Blue went downstairs to speak to Luke Darwin, and to get Arabella some food.   
  
"What exactly do you have in mind Lil?" Blue asked cautiously as they approached the hall. Lily put her hand on Blue's arm and pulled her gently aside.  
"I can't tell you the whole plan right now," she said, glancing at a few students sauntering past.  
"But I can tell you that in order to speak to Luke, you have to go over to the Slytherin table and talk to him."  
"Me! Why?" Blue gaped.  
"Because it'll be extremely obvious if I walk over there. They'll know that something's up. Because you're new, we have the advantage."  
"Oooo your clever. So what do I do then?" she asked, sounding interested.  
"You might not like this, but it's the only way." Lily paused for a second before Blue shook her.  
"Tell me!"  
"Luke's friends with Snape and Malfoy so you have to get to know them, the Slytherin people, in order for us to take full revenge. Be our inside person for as long as you can."  
"When you say as long as you can, you mean a few days, right?" Lily looked away and Blue felt goose bumps creep up her back.  
"It might take a little longer, maybe a few weeks longer," she whispered.  
"No! Absolutely not, if they find out-"  
"They won't," Lily assured her, but it wasn't helping.  
"What makes you think they're going to accept the fact that a Gryffindor just happily strolled across to their table and wanted to make friends, huh?!"  
"Tell them anything you need to. I have faith in you." Blue shivered. She remembered that that was the exact same thing that Arabella had said to her before Blue's plan had totally backfired. Well it didn't backfire; she just never got the chance to put it into action.  
  
"I don't like this Lil, not one bit," Blue moaned as she walked inside. Lily walked directly behind her.  
"You'll be fine. When you're done, meet me in our dorm." Blue turned to look at her, and she smiled sweetly. The exact kind of smile you get from a relative while you're on death row. As Blue approached the Slytherin table, she could see lots of people looking puzzled as they watched her move. Blue frantically searched for Luke Darwin among the smug looking Slytherins, and when she found him sitting alone, she was extremely relieved. Blue pulled up a chair and sat opposite him. He was totally unaware of the fact that she was even there. It was only when she coughed, that he looked up.  
  
"Hello," Blue smiled. He stared at her with his dark brown eyes and Blue swallowed hard.  
"Hi," he said back, very blankly.  
"I just came to- well I was wondering- I was-"  
"Is there any particular reason why you came all the way over here?" he asked her.  
"I came to say thank you," Blue finally managed to say.  
"For what?"  
"This afternoon. For breaking my fall," Blue said quietly.  
"Yeah well, it's every guy's dream to have a cute girl crash into him." He smiled and his dimples made him look so innocent.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Not to bad. One broken rib that as you can see was fixed, a cut mouth and a bruised ego. Other than that I'm fine." Blue was finding it more and more enchanting talking to Luke and she thought if this continued the way it was going; she wouldn't have a problem finding out what she needed.  
  
"I thought you were in Gryffindor," Blue said suddenly.  
"No, always been in Slytherin. I went to the wrong Quidditch practice though. So sorry to disappoint you, but if you're in the team, I'll be flying against you."  
"No problem, I'm looking forward to out next entanglement." He paused for a moment while pushing a few peas around on his plate.  
"Now can I ask you a question Blue, it is Blue right?" he said mysteriously.  
"Yes."  
"Why did you really come over here?" she stared at him, and for a few moments, was completely stuck for words.  
"You got me. I need tutoring," she said, slapping her hands on the side of her thighs, while Luke looked extremely confused.  
"What?" he coughed in mid-sip of his pumpkin juice.  
"Well, you're a very good flyer and if I make the Quidditch team, I thought you might-"  
"No," he said very bluntly, lowering his head.  
"Why?" Blue asked confused.  
"I won't give you lessons, I can't," he said not taking his eyes of his food.  
"If it's because I'm in Gryffindor-"   
"Of course it's that. Besides, look who you're friends with, and look who I'm friends with." Blue felt as if he'd voiced her own feelings.   
"Does that really matter?" she said touching his hand. He looked up at her and smiled.  
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Luke sighed and as he lifted his head and gave her a nod.  
"Thank you," she said as got up to walk away.  
"You know what?" she said, turning around to face him. "You're the nicest Slytherin I've met so far."  
"I'll take that as a complement." He grinned back at her.   
  
As Blue walked away she exhaled loudly and went off to find Lily to tell her the good news.  
"So? What happened?" Arabella asked anxiously as Blue entered the room.  
"Well at least I don't have to stick with him 24/7," she sighed, collapsing on her bed.  
"Is that a good thing?" Arabella said, turning to Lily.  
"Why? What did you say?" Lily asked enquiringly.  
"Well all I can say is that now, he's giving me flying lessons," she smiled sarcastically.  
"That's good," Lily commented.   
"Why's that good?" Arabella said, now really confused.  
"Well, according to Lil, the more time I spend with Luke, the more I'll get to know about his friends and the more he tells me, the more dirt I have on them-"  
"And the more dirt we have on them, the sweeter our revenge will be! Okay I get it now," Arabella said finally.  
"Quite good if I do say so myself," Lily smirked as she put her hands on her hips.  
"He caught me totally off guard though, and I really thought it wasn't going to work."  
"Good thinking Blue. Now you can spend as much time as you need with him. You just have to make the team, otherwise there's no point in him giving you lessons."  
"You've got this all planned out, don't you Lil."  
"That's why I'm the brains of this outfit!" They all laughed and it was followed by a deep silence.   
  
"I don't feel right about using Luke like this though," Blue said suddenly. "He's so sweet and I don't think he'd be very happy if he found out what I'm doing to him."  
"Blue, darling. Don't think of I that way. Snape and Malfoy made the biggest idiot ever out of me. We're not doing anything at all to Luke cause he's totally unaware that he's helping us." Arabella said believingly.  
"I guess you're right," Blue tried to convince herself.  
"I just want to thank you for doing this," Arabella smiled at Blue.  
"My pleasure, I'm still really sorry for the whole Sirius thing. If I had just told him, none of this would've mattered."  
"I'm sorry for ever thinking you could've done such a thing to me."  
"Hey I forgive you. What are friends for?" Blue shrugged. "Now I need some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a long day."  
  
  
*Author's Notes* I can't believe I've finally finished another chapter! :) I've had serious writers block for a while, but I was so inspired by everyone's reviews, so all I can say is, thank you!! I hope you guys like it! :)   



	11. Extremely unexpected

"It's not as if anything good came from your family anyway," a harsh little voice said.  
"You're one to talk. Exactly how many times have your parents disowned you?" Blue said, standing stationary in the middle of a room.  
"Please. If you think you can distract me from the fact that your mother's the biggest slut around, you're fooling yourself." A petite girl stood up from where she was sitting and went to face Blue. She was oddly short for her 13 years of age and there were many similarities between her and a rather ugly goblin.  
"She's not," Blue said quietly.  
"You're so naïve. Is she ever at home? When you call, when you visit? Or maybe it's because she's too afraid to be near you," she girl said menacingly. Blue curled her hands into fists and grinded her teeth hard, to avoid saying anything bad.  
"It's not her fault if your father can't give her what she needs. Mind you, I have seen her on the street corner once or twice." Suddenly the whole room became filled with a luminescent glow and deep whirlpools of light began to turn in Blue's eyes. The tiny girl's face was white and expressionless as she watched Blue hovering a few feet off the ground. As Blue glanced up at the girl, bolts of bright light shot out of her eyes and flew directly towards the girl.  
  
Blue woke up, drenched in cold sweat. It was just a dream, she said to herself over and over again. Arabella stirred in her sleep and Blue didn't want to wake anyone, so she slumped back into her pillows and held on tightly to the blanket. As long as I stay awake I'll be fine, she thought to herself. But no sooner had she closed her eyelids, than the dreams came back to haunt her all over again.   
  
"Everything okay Blue?" a voice suddenly said. Blue looked up to see Remus sitting in front of her. As she gazed around, she realised that she was sitting in the hall, a little earlier than usual for breakfast.  
"Y-yeah, of course. Why?"  
"You look a tad distant, that's all," he said soothingly. Blue's mind was definitely elsewhere, but she couldn't help notice that Remus was looking very tired and worn-out. There was an awkward silence before she spoke again.  
"I haven't spoken to you since-"  
"The hospital wing, I know. I got back and you were gone though."  
"I had something important to do," her eyes trailed away from Remus' as she looked around the hall.  
"I need to go, I'm meeting James and Sirius in the library. I just came to say-"  
"Blue! So nice to see you in here early," Blue turned around to see Luke striding towards her.  
"Morning Remus," he said with a twisted smirk. Remus stood, frozen for a few seconds before giving him the briefest nod, and then walking away.  
"So, Blue. I want to go over our schedule. Is tonight okay?"  
"For what?" Blue asked suddenly, still thinking about Remus.  
"Quidditch, remember. You'll know whether or not you're in the team today, and if you are, well then we can start practices tonight." He seemed so awake, yet Blue's mind was lingering on tonnes of other things.  
"Okay, I'll let you know."  
"Good. See you tonight, or not," he said as he disappeared to sit with Malfoy and Snape.  
  
"Talk about a head start," said Lily, watching Luke as she sat down.   
"Can't believe you came down here so early," Arabella said in scepticism.  
"Neither can I. What are you doing outside?" she said staring at Arabella.  
"Well, I realised that I couldn't hibernate in my room for-"  
"And Sirius told her that he's forgotten about the whole thing," Lily added unnecessarily.  
"Is Remus okay?" Blue said suddenly. She knew she'd hit a nerve because Lily's eyes widened and Arabella started fidgeting with her robes.  
"He's fine, I think," Lily said quickly. "Why d'you ask?"  
"He looked a real mess, I was going to ask but-"  
"I'm sure he's perfectly fine. We all have our days," Arabella said giddily. Lily started to talk about Transfiguration, but Blue was sure she'd changed the subject on purpose.   
  
After eating their fill, Lily, Arabella and Blue went to collect the things for their first lesson.   
"Potions," Arabella whined as she trudged unwillingly behind Lily.   
"With the Slytherins," Blue was careful to point out as they entered the smelly dungeons. They took their seats just as Professor Baldwin entered the classroom. The four seats that were permanently reserved at the back for the four pranksters were empty, again. This was the first thing that Professor Baldwin noted.  
"So, I see we have students who now make an effort to be late," he grinned evilly, staring at the vacant back table. Just as he was about the open his mouth to say something malicious again, Sirius skidded to a halt causing James, Remus and Peter all to collided into one another behind him.  
"Did we miss anything?" he pretended to pant, holding a hand to his chest.  
"Oh no Mr Black, I was just talking about you," Professor Baldwin said in an odd, untrustworthy voice.  
"You were," Sirius said, apparently also hearing the peculiarity in his voice.  
"Yes, and seeing that you and your little friends take pleasure out of coming late to this class, I think that twenty points from Gryffindor would be sufficient." There was a little silence as if they were waiting for more, but it didn't come.  
"Hey, twenty points for all of us, that's not bad. At least it wasn't a detention," James whispered in Sirius ear, but apparently Professor Baldwin heard him.  
"Oh no Mr Potter. Not twenty points for all of you, twenty points, for each of you," his beady eyes were reduced to slits because of the way in which he was smirking. James' mouth dropped open and Peter was counting on his fingers to see how much that would be.  
"Eighty points! Professor Baldwin-"  
"I suggest you sit down Mr Potter, before I make it twenty more." They all strolled to their seats, in a very shocked state.   
  
The lesson didn't go to well either. Surprisingly, Malfoy and Snape had kept their distance ever since the start of the lesson. Luke kept looking up and winking at Blue, much to Remus' disgust.  
"What's eating you buddy?" Sirius said quietly as they were shredding fig roots. "Forget about the points, we've done worse."  
"No, no it's not the points," he replied, still trying to figure out what Luke was mouthing to Blue.  
"Then what's wrong?" asked Sirius, totally bewildered.  
"What's the story with Luke Darwin?"  
"Hmm, well as far as I know, he's okay. James and I got into a spot of trouble with Filch once and he was there to cover for us, nice guy."  
"Why was he at our Quidditch practice the other day?" Remus asked suddenly.  
"Apparently he went to the wrong one. Why all the questions Remus, d'you know something I don't?"  
"No, I just think it's weird that a Slytherin comes to a Gryffindor practice and still flies. Wouldn't he have realised that-"  
"Relax Inspector Lupin, give the guy a break," said Sirius.  
"Okay," Remus muttered before throwing his savaged roots into his cauldron.   
  
Everyone (except the Slytherins) was glad when Potions ended and as the Gryffindors headed off to Transfiguration, Luke pulled Blue aside.  
"Have you heard about the team?" he asked her, interested.  
"Is that what you were trying to ask me?" Blue said confused.  
"Uh huh."  
"It hasn't even been and hour since you asked me last," she said suspiciously.   
"I know, but you've got me excited," he smiled, one of those melting smiles and Blue thought she was going to dissolve right there.   
"Tell me when you know okay," Luke said before hurrying off.  
"He seems in an awful hurry to start practices," Arabella said as she nudged Blue in the side.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Exactly what I said. Come on, he's tall, dark and han-"  
"I hope you're talking about me," Sirius shouted from in front of them.  
"Not in a million years," Arabella found herself answering.  
"I never would've guessed," Blue said and swerved to avoid Arabella's bag that had been aimed at her.   
  
When they were all seated in Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall didn't seem to be there. So everyone just talked casually waiting for her to arrive.  
"…the names are up," an excited voice suddenly said from the corridor.  
"…that's right…the new Quidditch team…" James' ears pricked up at the sound of Quidditch and ceased his conversation with Lily as he ran out the classroom, much to Lily's dismay, closely followed by Sirius and Remus, who had a sceptical look upon his face. Arabella had dragged Blue along to see as well. Blue on the other hand, was having serious doubts. James wriggled his way through the crowd of anxious Gryffindors, before he had full view. Written in Madam Hooch's tiny, neat handwriting was the following:  
  
Well done to every single one of you who tried out for the team. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. To the new captain and team, I wish you a very successful year and I will see you at the start of the Quidditch season.   
  
Gryffindor Team List  
  
Chaser- Zack Mallet  
Chaser- Kendra Valla  
Chaser- Blue Adams  
Beater- Justin Humphrey  
Beater- Derek Lombard  
Seeker- James Potter  
Keeper- Phillip Darwin (Captain)  
  
"You got in. Blue, you got in!" Arabella shrieked and as Blue looked up, caught a quick glance of her names through all the heads.  
"I did. Oh my God," she said as she covered her mouth his her hands. She was shaking so much as she walked back to the classroom alone. As she sagged back into her chair, she didn't realise that Sirius was sitting behind her.  
"Well done. I heard Arabella from here," he smiled.  
"Thank you," she said and then a thought crossed her mind.  
"What about you?" Sirius shook his head, but didn't seem to be affected by it at all.  
"There's always next year," he smiled and Blue was so stupefied by him. When Professor McGonagall finally came, she was so delighted to hear about the new team that she forgot all about Transfiguration- if that were possible. When the lesson ended, she was so cross with herself for forgetting a lesson that she stormed out in a confused frenzy.  
  
"I can't believe it," Blue was still saying as they ate lunch.   
"Well believe it," said Arabella particularly delighted with Blue's success.  
"But I had the accident and-"  
"I heard just now. Well done," Luke suddenly said from behind Blue. She turned around to face him and he looked extremely happy.  
"So I'll see you tonight then, eight o'clock on the Quidditch pitch." Blue just nodded, trying to swallow the piece of sausage she had in her mouth. As Luke walked swiftly away, Remus watched him with tentative eyes.  
"So our plan's in motion," Lily whispered so that only the three of them could hear.  
"Starting tonight, I'll have full revenge," Arabella said wickedly, and Lily looked a bit taken aback.  
"Girls. Didn't your mothers ever teach you that whispering in public is rude," came Sirius' voice from the opposite end of the table.  
"Not my mother," Arabella grinned.  
"You're playing Chaser, right Blue?" James asked.  
"Yeah. I've heard that you're a really, really good Seeker, James," Blue said moving her eyes towards Lily.  
"Really, who told you that?" James replied sarcastically as he watched Lily turn the darkest shade of crimson he had ever seen.  
"Well, Remus and I will drink to being the losers of the table," said Sirius happily holding up his glass,  
"Speak for yourself, I didn't even tryout," Remus sighed and Blue couldn't help but feel a little guilty.  
"There's always next year," Lily said, echoing Sirius' words.  
"I guess."   
  
The rest of the day went quite normally, apart from a few minor mishaps in Herbology. Most of the Gryffindors were talking and lounging around lazily in the common room. But Blue was wide-awake. She was thinking about Lily's plan, and all the things that could go horribly wrong.   
"Cheer up," Arabella said soothingly as she sat down next to her on the squishy sofa.  
"Have some chocolate," she chirped, breaking off a piece from a large dark brown slab.  
"Sirius pinched it from Madam Pomfrey this morning. I dare say she wasn't to pleased." The chocolate disappeared quickly once it hit Blue's tongue, and she suddenly felt warm and tingly inside.  
"Oooo, it's eight o'clock. I have to get going," Blue smiled as she heard the clock chime. She picked up her broomstick and headed for the portrait, climbing gingerly out and making her way to the Quidditch pitch. Luke was already waiting there when she arrived.  
  
"Hi," he greeted briskly.  
"Am I late?"  
"No."   
"Where's you broom?" she said, scanning the bare grass.  
"Blue, I don't think I can give you lessons." She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.  
"I told you before, it doesn't matter about our houses, all-"  
"It does. But that's not why I can't teach you." He seamed to have a reason but he wasn't saying what.  
"Well then why?"  
"Consider it as, sibling rivalry," he said simply.  
"Huh?"  
"My brother- Phillip Darwin, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. My brother- head boy. My brother- the smart one of the family," he sounded as if he relished the idea, but his face was transfixed and severe.  
"Your brother's captain, I didn't-"  
"Neither did I, I found out on the way here. He took delight in rubbing it in my face. I didn't even go to the right practice." Luke pushed his black hair out his face and stared at Blue.  
"So you see why," he stated simply.  
"No I don't. That reason, it's just as pathetic as the other. I can't believe you'd let anyone get the better of you." He stared at her without saying a word and then hung his head.  
"I'm in the Slytherin team, that's another reason. They aren't very happy with the idea of you and me-"  
"You know what? Okay, fine don't teach me! I don't give a damn anymore!!" she said slinging her broom over her shoulder.  
"I'm so-"  
"All I wanted was a few pointers," she said, turning around and Luke had to duck to avoid her broom. "And you couldn't even give me that!!"  
"I'm sorry," he pleaded, rushing in front of her and grabbing her shoulders.  
"I don't even know why I wasted my time on you! Do you know I could be in my common room now, eating chocolate!! But no I'm out here with-" then suddenly, with no warning at all, he quickly leaned forward and kissed her. It was a few good seconds before he pulled away. Blue's face was totally still and she swallowed hard. Luke's mouth curled into a smile.  
"That shut you up," he said ironically. Blue broke herself free from his grip and walked silently up to the castle. She didn't turn around once to glance back at Luke.   
  
When she reached the portrait, the Fat Lady asked for the password and she mumbled something.  
"Sorry dear I didn't catch that?"  
"Orange Marmalade!!" Blue shrieked and the Fat Lady looked shocked, but swung forward anyway.  
"Back so early?" Lily said rising up from a sofa "What happened?"  
"Lessons are off. I don't wanna talk about it," she muttered a she walked up to the dormitory. Her face was white as she hurried up the stairs.  
"What's with her?" Lily said confused, sitting sat down next to Arabella.  
"He kissed her," Arabella said simply as she ate the remaining chocolate.  
  
  
*Author's Notes* Okay, so another one finished! :) I tried to make it longer and I think I succeeded. Well I hope you guys like it and I'm going to encourage you to REVIEW, cause it is the best thing to do! Thanx to everyone who reviewed last time, it means so much to me!:) Oh by the way... Godric, I changed James' position just for you! 


	12. The Darwin brothers

  
  
"So how was it?" Arabella whispered to Blue on their way from Divination.  
"What are you taking about," Blue said rather irritably as she tightened the grip on her textbooks.  
"The kiss," Arabella replied in a low hiss. Blue was so startled, she let go of everything she was holding and it went crashing to the ground. They both knelt down to pick the scattered items up, but when Arabella handed Blue a quill, she smiled.  
"How d'you know?"   
"Sirius used to reduce me to a babbling wreck, every time he gave me one of those fatal looks he's so famous for. I think I'd know a good kiss victim when I see one."  
"He caught me totally unaware, I don't even-"  
"Like him? Well that remains to be seen," Arabella said before walking towards the common room.  
"Meet you in the hall," she called, as she disappeared round the corner.   
  
There were thousands of things running through Blue's mind. Thousands of things that can't be thought about on an empty stomach, Blue thought as she felt her stomach rumble. When she entered the hall the first person she saw was Lily, sitting quite a few chairs away from James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. She looked really frustrated.  
  
"Hey Lil," Blue said as she sat down opposite her.  
"Oh, hello Blue," Lily said, slamming the book in front of her closed.  
"What are-"  
"Nothing. Unfinished work, that's all," she said hurriedly, sweeping pieces of parchment together before Blue had a chance to see what was written on them.  
"Oh, there's Professor McGonagall. Excuse me Blue," Lily said politely, gathering all her 'unfinished work' up and swiftly disappearing after Professor McGonagall. Blue had no idea what had just happened.  
"Feel deserted?" a familiar voice said slowly. Blue looked up to see Luke who had just taken Lily's vacant seat.  
"What do you want?"  
"You left so suddenly last night, I didn't get a chance to-"  
"Oh shut up," she snapped. "I left because you're too pathetic to make up your own mind!"  
"Harsh, very harsh," he said, patting his heart lightly.  
"What do you really want Darwin?"  
"Darwin? Since when do you call me that," he said, sounding a little hurt.  
"Since last night." There was a silence before he took her hand in his.  
"I still thought there might be a chance for me to redeem myself, maybe still give you those Quidditch pointers. I'm really, really sorry though, I know it was wrong for me to kiss you, and I hope friendship isn't beyond what we have." He kissed her on the cheek, and then got up to walk away.  
"Luke," Blue said, calling after him. "We never had anything." He stared, soundless at her before going back to the Slytherin table.  
"Harsh," Arabella said from behind Blue.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Sirius said, staring open-mouthed at Blue. All four of them had witnessed the brief encounter between Luke and Blue, but no one was more gob-smacked than Remus. They had been sitting to far away to hear the conversation, but their actions were enough.  
"I don't like him, that guy's trouble," James breathed, shaking his head.  
"Very into the Dark Arts," Peter said suddenly and the whole group was plunged into silence.  
"How would you know?" Sirius laughed.  
"Trust me," he said, moving uncomfortably in his seat.  
"Dark Arts or not, this whole thing still feels wrong," James retorted.  
"Do you know something I don't James?" Sirius asked suspiciously.  
"No." James said unconvincingly. "What d'you think of him Remus? Remus?" James looked next to him, but Remus had disappeared.  
"Oh you know him, always up and about," Sirius said, waving it aside.  
"There he is!" Peter pointed over to where Blue and Arabella were sitting.  
"Oh no," whined Sirius.  
  
"I want to talk to you," Remus said sitting next to Blue. His eyes moved over to Arabella, who got the message.  
"I'll go find Lily," she squeaked. Remus made sure no one was around before he started speaking.  
"I'm glad you came here, because I've got something to say as well."   
"You look tired," he spoke gently. "Quidditch practice longer than expected?" Blue eyes shot a nervous glance over at Luke who was surprisingly looking back. Remus didn't have to turn around to guess what she was looking at. Then, Blue suddenly looked back disbelievingly at Remus who smiled.  
"You know about that?" she said, startled.  
"I get around."  
"T-there's nothing… you don't think? Do you?" she said moving a hand between her and Luke's table.  
"I don't actually care," he said, detaining his calm voice. "I just think, we're all friends and friends don't keep secrets from each other. You wanted to ask me something."  
"You first."  
"I think you've noticed that some people are acting strange. It's hard not to, but I think you should know it's because-"  
  
"Thought about those pointers?" Luke was back. Blue was about to say something really nasty, but Remus had already stood up.  
"You've interrupted me once Darwin, twice is not an option. Now just scurry back to that little table of yours and everyone's life will be much happier." Blue looked disbelievingly up at Remus. She'd never heard him talk that way to anyone before.  
"My, my Lupin, we do bear grudges." Blue was suddenly glad there was a table between them because she envisioned this getting quite ugly.  
"Why don't you crawl back to the cave you came from Lupin," Remus suddenly heard Snape's voice. He didn't even notice Malfoy and Snape standing behind Luke.  
"Shut your greasy mouth Snape," James snapped from behind Remus. He turned around to see James and Sirius standing behind him, ready for action, while Peter lurked somewhere beyond any conflict.  
"That's right Potter always the sharp one, you and your stupid broom."  
"Oooo, is that jealously I hear?" James cooed.  
"Will you all just stop this!" Blue shouted.  
"Oh yes that's right, take advice from the mind controller," Malfoy hissed and Sirius made a quick grab for Remus' robes, stopping him from advancing towards Malfoy.  
"Let me break his nose again so I can make it an even number," Remus whispered angrily.   
"It's not worth it Remus," Sirius said silently. Malfoy had one of his legendary wide smirks planted firmly on his face as he talked.  
"That's right Lupin, it's not worth it. Especially when you know you've lost Adams to Luke long ago."  
"Excuse me" Blue said, narrowing her eyes. "Lost me? He never had me to begin with."  
"You see, she said it herself. Why would she want to be with you when Luke and her have Quidditch practice? It does have it's perks, doesn't it Luke?" But before Malfoy had a chance to glance over at Luke and gloat, Blue has slapped him clear across the face.  
"You're a horrible, egotistical little brat, and nothing good will ever come from you, ever." To her utter surprise, Malfoy smiled as he touched the spot where Blue had slapped him.  
"Didn't think you had it in you. Last time all of us met like this, I reduced you to a sobbing, pathetic creature. Luke really brought you out your shell."   
  
There was a long silence as Blue surveyed the scene. James and Snape were standing eye-to-eye, fists clenched and teeth bared. Remus was on the opposite side of Malfoy, with Sirius still holding his robes tightly, not daring to let go. Yet where was Luke?  
"I would slap you again, but I don't want to waist the energy," Blue said quickly before turning to walk out. She had to find Luke and talk to him, clear things up once and for all. She went out into the passage and caught a quick glance of Luke departing up the marble steps.  
  
"Luke!" she called after him, but he carried on walking. Blue had to run up the stairs in order to catch up with him. When she reached the top of the staircase, it took her a few seconds to regain her breath.  
"I knew you'd come after me," he said suddenly, stopping to face her.  
"W-what?" Blue panted, leaning on the railing.  
"All those things you said to me in the hall, I know you didn't mean them." He said knowingly, but he couldn't convince her.  
"I've known you for three days Luke. Only three days and you think you know the inner workings of my mind."  
"But I do."  
"You don't!! You presume to know me so well! Yet, you push me away and then run after me all of a sudden."  
"When you crashed into me that day, it was fate. I don't know how to explain it. I just have this feeling. " His dark eyes twinkled as he looked at Blue.  
"Listen to yourself Luke. You're saying because I fell on top of you we're meant to be together!"  
"No I didn't, you just did."  
"Stop twisting my words! Remus is the only-"  
"Don't say it. You'll regret it, I promise you."  
"I can't listen to this rubbish anymore." Blue said, spinning around and storming off to the Gryffindor common room. After what seemed like ages, she finally reached the dormitory and collapsed onto her bed.  
  
"I'm sorry Blue," Lily's voice rang out clear from the bed next to her. She sat up to see her looming over thick books and parchment again.  
"I didn't know until James told me," she continued. "But all the same, I put you're life in danger. I'm so sorry."  
"What are you talking about Lil?"  
"Luke he- he's a warper."  
"He's a what?" Lily stared in disbelief at Blue.   
"You've never heard- you don't know- how?"  
"Lil, what's a warper?" Blue asked again, walking over to her bed and sitting next to her.  
"In every generation there's one and Luke just happens to be this generation's."  
"So?"  
"Okay," she sighed, exhaling loudly. "Warper, warper… um, here." Lily pulled out a rather large book from the array on her bed and began flipping the pages until she stopped and laid the book out in front of her. The picture was absolutely horrible and Blue had to look away for a few seconds before glancing back. There was a young boy, about six of seven, lying facedown on the floor. He looked as if he was in so much pain, his eyes were screwed up and his fists tightly clenched. Above him a few feet in the air, there was a thin, rigid old man staring down at the boy. He had a stern look on his face as red blots of light streamed from his fingers, onto the boy. The artist had drawn everything in great detail and even the boy's wounds seemed so real. His sizzling flesh had been portrayed so vividly, that Blue's imagination smelt something strange.  
  
"Why are you showing me this?" she managed to say.  
"The man," Lily said, pointing to the picture, "a warper."  
"They boy," she paused, "a mind controller." As if someone had flicked a light on in Blue head, her mouth dropped open and she gaped at Lily.  
"Luke's a- a Rahli!"  
"A what?" Lily said, now taking her turn to be utterly confused.  
"That's the word we use in India for a, warper did you say?"  
"Yes. I'm surprised you didn't realise."  
"Does he know?"  
"I don't know if he does. It's all very strange though. I've been reading up on warpers and apparently they have a natural mind controller killing instinct."  
"Oooo, that makes me feel all warm and tingly inside," Blue replied sarcastically.  
"But what I don't understand is, why he didn't act on that instinct."  
"Maybe he's not the destroying type?" Blue said hopefully, but Lily wasn't convinced. She pulled another book out, smaller than the other one and turned to the back.  
"I knew I'd read it somewhere!"  
"What does it say?"  
"The warper has two choices when faced with a mind controller, to kill it or to let it live, in exchange for it's eternal love. In most cases the mind controller is destroyed, but when the warper does not realise the full extent of its power, he would take a different approach to the mind controller." Lily and Blue both looked at each other, wordless.  
"So he doesn't know what he is, because if he did, I'd be a pile of ash."  
"Blue! Don't talk like that!" Lily pleaded.  
"No wonder," Blue realised "he stopped me on the way here, and gave me the impression that we were soul mates or something stupid like that."  
"We have to talk to Dumbledore. You're in danger being here." Blue didn't wait a second to fully agree. They hurried out their dormitory and down the stairs. But as Blue turned around to ask Lily something, she collided into somebody and was knocked clear to the floor.  
  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you," a soft voice said from above her. She looked up to see a familiar seventh year's face staring down at her. He had dark brown hair and quite a strong build, but there was something so familiar about his eyes. She pushed herself up from the floor and looked back at Lily.  
"Blue we don't have-"  
"Philip? Phillip Darwin?"   
"Yes," he said slightly puzzled "how d'you-"  
"You're brother, Luke, he's one of my frie- I mean I know him."  
"Oh I see, and who do I have the pleasure of talking to?" he smiled and Blue felt that these Darwin brothers really had charm.  
"Blue Adams," she replied.  
"Oh, you're on the Quidditch team. Nice to finally meet you."  
"Blue! We don't have time for-"  
"Your friend seems a little anxious to get somewhere." Being interrupted twice, infuriated Lily and she scowled at Phillip.  
"Lil, maybe he can help us," Blue whispered and Lily's face brightened.  
"Phillip, can you spare a few minutes?" Lily said stepping in front of Blue.  
"I was actually on my way-"  
"It's very urgent," Blue said and her smile managed to convince him.  
"Okay, just a few minutes."   
  
All three of them moved to a sofa surrounding a little table, and sat down. Lily offloaded all her books onto the table, and turned to the page with the old man and the little boy. They watched the expression on Phillip's face change instantly.  
"You know about Luke." Lily and Blue nodded.  
"Pity you had to find out, no one was supposed to know."  
"Why did Dumbledore accept him though, he could've put potential mind controllers at risk."  
"There were none of them here at the time, but now," he paused, looking at Blue.  
"Oh great, that's just fabulous," Blue said, throwing her hands up in the air.  
"Does he know?' Lily asked, remaining calm. Phillip shook his head.  
"My parents didn't want to tell him. Have you been in contact with him lately?"  
"Contact," Blue repeated, "yeah you could call it that."  
"As long as he doesn't know, everything's fine. There's no point in making this an issue." Philip said.  
"But-"  
"Trust me, I'm head boy. I know what I'm talking about. Now if you'll excuse me."  
"Sorry to have wasted your time," Blue said irritably, before walking towards the portrait.  
  
"There's something very strange going on here," Lily said as she followed her.  
"Great help he was, 'Trust me I'm head boy, there's no point in making this an issue'," Blue imitated him.  
"How would he feel if he had a potential killer after him?"  
"I think if we all moved around school very carefully, we should be able to keep out of Luke's way. Blue, do you still want to go to Dumbledore?" Lily asked.  
"Well, if he let me into this school with the knowledge that Luke was here, I'd feel a little awkward questioning his judgement. Wouldn't you?" Lily nodded as they trailed off towards the library.  
"I've got to return all of these," she pointed to the stack of books she was cradling.  
"Thank you for telling me," Blue smiled as Lily brushed a few pieces of auburn hair from her face. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled weakly.  
"I felt guilty. If he had known what he was, who knows what would've happened last night."  
"Couldn't have been worse than what did happen," Blue said silently.  
  
  
*Author's Notes* Well, the story is just getting more and more exciting to write by the second. Can't WAIT for the Harry Potter movie to come out!! It's gonna be wicked! :) Well, JK owns everything as you guys know and I would really appreciate it as always if you could spare a few minutes to review! Thanks a mill! :)  



	13. Big mouth

During the following weeks, it was difficult to keep out of Luke's way, but Blue managed all the same. Quidditch season only started at the beginning of November and it was reassuringly safe with James around, but Blue wasn't going to start wondering around on her own, not when an instinctual murderer was sleeping in a common room down the hall. As if things couldn't have gotten any worse, the amount of homework they had received, seemed enough to last them until next Christmas, not to mention the horrible Potions assignments they had been given.  
  
"I can't take this anymore!" Arabella shrieked one afternoon, while the three of them were in the library.  
"How the heck am I supposed to know, how many stupid pieces of goat's hind to throw into an already stuffed concoction?"   
"I just guessed," Blue smiled, half managing to stifle a laugh. But Lily looked up sharply from her Herbology textbook.  
"Bella, it's easy, just follow the instructions in your-"  
"Excuse me ladies, can I borrow Blue for a sec?" Remus interrupted Lily.  
"Sure Remus, go right ahead," Arabella winked. Blue rose slowly from her chair as Remus pulled her behind a bookshelf.  
"Hi," he said quickly.  
"Hi," Blue replied nonchalantly. "So, any particular reason why you're here?" She swallowed her words as she realised they were exactly what Luke had said to her a few weeks back. Dammit Blue, stop thinking about Luke, she reminded herself.  
"Can't a guy not have reason for wanting to talk to a-"  
"Friend?" she gave him a mocking look but he grinned.   
"I was going to say a Quidditch partner but-"  
"What? How?!!"  
"Seems that Justin Humphrey and Derek Lombard had quite a nasty Beater accident, and well, you're looking at their replacement," Remus said cheerfully.  
"You and who?"  
"Sirius, who else?"  
"That's so nice, but you didn't try out?" she said suddenly.   
"After what happened to Justin and Derek, there weren't many volunteers." Remus gave her a squeamish look, but she was so taken aback by the good news, that she threw her arms around his neck.  
"Well done!!" she squealed, he hugged her tightly but when she pulled away to look at him, the awkward silence settled on them.  
"Well, I- um, I'll see you later. Tell Sirius I say well done."  
"Will do. Good luck with potions." Blue laughed as she turned to walk back to her insufferable workload.  
"Oh, and Blue," he called back, "you look really nice today."  
"Thanks," she smiled as she felt her face getting peculiarly flushed. She turned away, to grin in peace and before she got back to Lily and Arabella, tried to regain her sombreness.  
"And?" Arabella said leaning forward. Lily also managed to look up from her book once again.  
"And what?" Blue asked blankly.  
"What position's he playing?"  
"You were listening!" Blue shrieked.  
"Well, it's hard not to when your behind the next bookshelf!" Arabella cried scandalously. Lily nodded matter-of-factly at her side.  
"Beater, and Sirius too, but then you'd know if you were eavesdropping properly," she said mockingly.  
"Oh don't be such a wet fish," Arabella insisted.  
"Yes Blue," Lily added unnecessarily, while she laughed. Blue shook her head as she noticed people starting to drift out the library.  
"What do we have now?" Blue asked.  
"Well, we have double Astronomy," Lily said to Blue, as she packed her books back into her bag.  
"That means I have Muggle Studies," Arabella said blissfully.  
"Why's she so happy?" Blue whispered to Lily.  
"She sits next to Sirius, for a double period," Lily chuckled. Blue covered her mouth to stop herself laughing out aloud.  
  
"Good afternoon class."  
"Afternoon Professor Everingham," the whole class chirped at different times. A tall, slender woman stood at the front of the class, her crimson robes a few inches shorter than normal. Her short chestnut brown hair stuck out at odd angles beneath her black-pointed hat and her bony cheeks were dotted with ginger freckles. Everyone who took Astronomy agreed, they couldn't have asked for a better teacher. Very young, yet very experienced, Professor Everingham kept the class entertained for hours with her stories about how she'd played Seeker for Hufflepuff when she was at Hogwarts, or the time her and her friends bewitched Mrs Norris and made her act like a chicken. Everyone always listened with great interest during her lesson, and today was no exception.  
"So I hope you've all been studying hard." There was a dismayed pause. Most people were utterly horrified to hear her say anything like that, and as a small smile crossed her lips she said," I'm joking, I'm joking!!" It took the class a few more moments to settle down and Professor Everingham took the time to seat herself, crossed legged on the top of her desk.  
"Anyway, I was looking at Mars yesterday and the planetary alignments are quite unique for this time of the season. So my plans that I made at the beginning of the year don't seem to coincide with it. That means we're stuck on Constellations for the moment." There were a few groans and as Professor Everingham slipped off her desk and walked to her bookshelf, she frowned.  
"Look, Constellations aren't all that bad. It's just because for the past few lessons I've been droning on about the History, and all those weird people who were obviously hallucinating when they thought up names for those stars." She paused as a few people laughed.  
"But I promise you, as soon as we start sky gazing, you'll fall in love with Constellations. We might even get to name a star, that's if it isn't already taken. I did that once, named it after my owl. Then I suddenly got a summons from the Ministry of Magic saying I was being sued. That's one month I want to forget." She resumed her search for a book in her dusty shelf.  
"I used to star gaze in India, but I'm on the other side of the world now," Blue whispered to Lily.  
"No problem, the Constellations here are easy to learn." Lily said, leaning across James to talk to Blue.  
"I hope so." She smiled as Professor Everingham was still searching hopelessly for something.  
"Aaaah, here it is," she said slamming the book down on her table.  
"A Beginners Guide to Constellations," she read aloud.  
"If that's for beginners, I don't want to know what the Expert guide looks like," James said half-heartedly. Lily nudged him in the ribs and he shrugged.  
"Right you are Mr Potter, this book is rather, er- thick," she said awkwardly, staring at the bulky leather cover. "But all the same, I learnt a lot from this little beauty." The class looked rather unconvinced as she opened it and began to cough from the protruding dust. She closed it swiftly again before it had the chance to make her cough anymore.  
"I'm giving you a rather out-of-the-ordinary assignment. No essays or impractical pieces of parchment that I end up loosing, but a detailed oral presentation on the constellation you get given." There was a tiny murmur of voices, none of them could remember the last time they had been given an oral assignment.  
"What are you waiting for, get a partner!" Professor Everingham exclaimed. Before Blue could even look at Lily, her and James were discussing what Constellation they hoped they'd get. She smiled and looked around for another suitable partner.  
"So, how d'you think we're going to do this?" Remus said from next to her. He had been so silent that she had completely forgotten about him.  
"Depends on what we get," Blue grinned.  
"Exactly what I was thinking." They looked at each other before Blue thought of something.  
"Remus, remember a few weeks ago you wanted to tell me something, when we were in the hall?" Blue asked him suddenly, and an abrupt remembrance swept his face as he nodded.  
"Yeah."  
"Well, what were you going to tell me?"  
"It's just I-"  
"So, partner number one. Remus and co," Professor Everingham said, extending an index finger.  
"Later," he whispered as they approached her desk.  
"What shall it be?" Professor Everingham said as she pulled her long, mahogany wand out of her robes.  
"Revealatium!" she cried, bringing her wand down upon the book. It immediately flipped open and the pages began to turn rapidly. It rose a few inches into the air before stopping suddenly and slamming back onto the table. She peered down into the pages and looked up at them, smiling.  
"Gemini!" she yelled, clapping her hands together. "Very nice. Gemini is very easy to see in the nights skies, if you come to me after class I'll give you a few pointers."  
"Thank you Professor." Blue said as she turned to walk back to her seat.  
"Full moon tonight," she heard Professor Everingham whisper to Remus.  
"I know," he said gloomily as Professor Everingham frowned. Blue dismissed the thought as friendly banter and her mind was soon full of thoughts about the project. Astronomy was the last lesson of the day, and Blue had made plans with James to go flying. Besides the whole life threatening thing, Luke couldn't give Blue the one thing she really wanted: a few Quidditch lessons and Blue still needed a few points, so James, being that kind of guy, had kindly agreed. Blue went to meet him at the Quidditch pitch, a little earlier than they had arranged just so she could do a few laps before he arrived. She wasn't bad, but she wasn't brilliant either.  
  
"Hey Blue!" James called as he walked towards her.  
"Hi," she managed to call back, a little wearily.  
"So, you ready for our Quidditch session?" he said, clapping his hands together.  
"I guess. Did you hear about Remus being in the team?" As if someone had switched on a light in James' head, he smiled and nodded.  
"Can I be straight with you?" he said suddenly.  
"Uh huh."  
"It's Remus, the guy thinks about you all day, and probably also at night. I just can't understand why you're not with him."  
"It's complicated," Blue said with a guilty pang constantly hitting her heart.  
"Of course I understand," James' voice suddenly took on a silent edge, "it would be complicated with him being a werewolf and all."  
"What?" Blue's guilty pang stopped and it felt like she had been hit on the head with a very big hammer. All the memories came back to her and suddenly everything made sense. The way Remus had wanted to tell her something so many times, the way he wouldn't turn up for lessons and the way Professor Everingham and him kept in close conversation.  
"What do you mean what? Oh god, please don't tell me never knew, please Blue."  
"I never knew. But I do now," she squeaked, still reeling in shock.  
"I'm the stupidest idiot ever!" James said, hitting himself on the head with his broomstick.  
"James, stop it!" Blue said, grabbing the broom from out of his hands.  
"It's better this way, it's better that I know."  
"Me and my big mouth, I really thought you knew!"  
"Remus tried to tell me a few times, but as fate might have it, today was the day." James lay down on the pitch and sighed.  
"What am I supposed to do now?" Blue lay down next to him as they both looked up at the bright blue sky.  
"Nothing. We're going to keep this between us. Besides, it's not that bad if he was going to tell me anyway." James was silent, which meant he was thinking, and after a good minute he voiced his decision.  
"Okay, that seems like a good idea. Just between us then," he said as he stretched out a hand.  
"Just between us," Blue repeated as she shook his hand. The clouds seemed motionless in the sky and as Blue and James were enveloped in their guilty pact, no one noticed Snape doing his usually sneaking across the grounds.  
  
  
*Author's Note* It's been a while, I know, but I moved and I've had hectic work to do. But I did find time to dedicate to my HP fic. Anyway hope you enjoyed, it's getting more and more exciting, I think. PLEASE take a few minutes to read and review…I will be eternally grateful! 


	14. Messed and fixed up

Remus sat alone at the breakfast table. There were more Gryffindors at the other end of it, but he didn't feel much like making conversation today. It was Sunday, and it was full moon that night. Remus always spent the morning alone to reflect on things and to clear his mind for the painful and gruelling task that lay in store for him. But today, things were different. Instead of looking grimly forward to the night, he couldn't stop thinking about Blue. Her big dark blue eyes, her angelic laugh and her lips, oh those lips…  
  
"Brooding as usual," came the voice of the last person on the planet Remus felt like seeing, not to mention talking to.  
"Snape, go wash your hair. And while you're at it, wash that mouth of yours too." Remus said, throwing his fork aside and getting up from the table.  
"Leaving already? I haven't even told you the good news," he smirked.  
"What rubbish is this now Snape?" Remus spat, turning around to look into Severus' eyes.  
"Well," he said, his voice going suddenly completely silent. "It's very unfortunate that I can't tell the whole school what you are." The vision of Remus swallowing hard made Severus' smirk grow even wider.  
"I gave Dumbledore my word that I wouldn't, but if I'm not mistaken, the one person you probably haven't told, knows everything." There was a long pause before Remus started laughing.  
"What are you talking about? There's no one that I want to tell. God, you make it sound like a want to advertise it Snape. Talk like a proper wizard or take extra conversation classes." A vein in Severus' temple flickered as he regained his smirk.  
"I don't think you understand me. I'm talking about Adams, she knows." It happened in an instant and the next thing Severus knew, Remus was clutching his robes rather firmly and moving a fist in front of his face.  
"You scum!! If you've said a word-"  
"Oh no, it wasn't me Lupin. It was Potter," Severus seemed as though he took great delight in saying James' name and seeing the expression on Remus' face change as he let go of Severus' robes.  
"They spent the whole afternoon together, on the Quidditch pitch. And you know what happens there, don't you Lupin?" Remus' remembered Luke and shook his head in total disbelief.  
"You complete liar. James would never-"  
"Well, you can ask him yourself," Severus said, pointing behind Remus.   
  
A conversing James and Sirius were walking towards the table and as soon as James saw him, looked away.  
"Is this some kind-" but when he looked around, Severus had gone and Sirius and James were coming closer.  
"Good morning mate," Sirius said, clapping him on the back.  
"Good? What's good about it?" Remus said, not taking his eyes off James.  
"Yeah, I guess with tonight being-"  
"Shut up James! How can you even talk to me? How can you stand there and act like nothing happened between you and Blue?!"  
"You know about that? How?"  
"It doesn't matter how!" Remus cried. "This just gets better and better. You don't even deny it."  
"I thought we shouldn't say anything because-"  
"Don't lie James," came the sound of Blue's soft voice from behind the three boys.  
"What the hell is going on here?" Sirius said, standing between James and Remus. Blue joined him and placed a hand on Remus' shoulder.  
"I told James not to say anything. I thought it would be better. I guess I was completely wrong. Can you forgive me?" she smiled but Remus shrugged her hand off stepped back.  
"Leave me alone. Just leave me alone," he said quietly as he turned and ran out the hall. Somewhere at the Slytherin table, Severus sat, marvelling at his self-praised genius.  
  
"I need to talk to him," Blue said desperately, but James pulled her arm back and turned her around.   
"No Blue, he needs a little time to think things over."  
"Would someone kindly explain what's going on?" Sirius said sarcastically, his arms folded looking between Blue and James.  
"James accidentally told me about Remus being-" Blue paused as a group of Hufflepuffs walked past. "A werewolf."  
"Oh. I can see why that would be a problem." Sirius hissed out on a long breath.   
"I thought she knew!" James exclaimed.  
"He seemed really upset though, almost as if he'd heard a really different dramatised version. I wonder how he found out, maybe someone else told him," Blue said. As if she had struck gold, Sirius and James both looked simultaneously at each other with looks of pure hatred on their faces. They started heading off speedily in the direction of the Slytherin table, Blue followed very confused. When they stopped above Lucius and Severus however, all her suspicions were confirmed.  
  
"Snape! You slimly little thing! What did you tell Remus?" Sirius bellowed and Severus smiled.  
"How dare you accuse my friend of anything!" Lucius spat.  
"I might have been able to pull Remus off you Malfoy, but if I attack you, there's no one to hold me back." Lucius' bottom lip shook and Sirius' gaze returned to Severus.  
"So as I was saying Snape, what did you say to Remus?"  
"Oh Black, don't you think Potter should be asking the questions?" Severus smiled evilly at James and he stared.  
"I knew it, you were spying on us! What did you tell him Snape?" James said, advancing on Severus.  
"Everything I heard and I added a bit of spice, it was too boring for my liking."  
"Spice?" James asked curiously, but it sounded to menacing to be curious.  
"You're too slow Potter. Blue's a girl, you're a guy and you're alone on a Quidditch pitch. I daresay Adams is quite well known for her 'pitch activities'; it was too easy to pass up. Lupin ate up every word!" Severus was on the point of laughing, but Blue's wand in his face suddenly changed his mood.  
"Say something else about Remus, and the next time you look in the mirror, your reflection will scare you to death."  
"Not that it doesn't already," Sirius added.  
"Take that out my face," Severus snarled.  
"No, it's about time someone taught you a lesson," she said raising her wand.  
"Miss Adams!" came the voice of Professor McGonagall. "What are you doing?" Blue stopped abruptly and smiled.   
"Friendly banter," she cooed as she tapped her wand on Severus' shoulder.  
"Oh. In that case sorry to have disturbed you. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday." Blue waited until Professor McGonagall had left the hall and then whispered in Severus ear before she turned and left.  
"Next time you won't be so lucky."  
  
Remus was pacing around outside the castle, trying to make sense of what was going on. His fingers were sweaty and his mouth was dry. When he got to a clear patch of grass next to the lake, he sat down and began breathing heavily. This can't be happening, he thought bitterly. James, he's my friend one of my best friends. Remus sat, transfixed as he allowed his mind to wonder. He thought about Blue and James on the Quidditch pitch together, his arms around her, his hands in her hair, his lips- Remus shook his head and rubbed his eyes. It was almost too impossible to believe. But Severus- he'd said that he'd seen them, was it a cruel joke? Remus thought. Then his mind began to wonder again and he imagined how Blue and James were laughing, about him being a werewolf. About how he transformed and the way he couldn't take the pain and about how she could ever like someone like him. His breathing quickened as he heard footsteps coming towards him. Remus looked behind him, but could only see the outline of a figure, because of the sun shining in his face. He squinted and could make out Blue's long hair blowing in the wind.  
  
"Come to laugh at me even more?" he snapped and Blue looked at him confused.  
"What do you mean?" she said as she sat down next to him.  
"I can't understand why James would do something like that to me?" Remus said softly.  
"It wasn't his fault," Blue said.  
"You're right. It was yours," Remus said suddenly, losing his calm, quite tone.  
"What?"  
"What did you have to do to him? Huh? Bewitch him?" Blue eyes widened and her mouth hung open a little.  
"I can't believe you just said that to me! After telling me it doesn't matter what I am, because you can look past those things!! I thought you of all people would under-"  
"Well you know what? I don't understand. Not after my best friend tells my biggest secret to the- to you- and god knows what else you two did yesterday." Blue looked as him, confused.  
"What else we did? What do you think we did Remus? It was a Quidditch session for god's sake because I suck at it! Do you think we were- hang on- you think we did something? I can't believe you'd believe Snape over me!"  
"Snape? What's he got to do with this?"  
"Half of the story he told you was rubbish! James told me that you were a werewolf, yes he did. But by accident, he thought I knew! Then Snape overheard our conversation and turned it into something completely different. James and I are friends that's it, nothing happened." Remus looked, bewildered at her. He couldn't believe this was happening. He had believed his archenemy, over the girl he was falling head-over-heels for.   
"I feel like a total idiot now," he said, burring his head in his hands.  
"That's nothing compared to what James is feeling. Go and talk to him." Blue said sympathetically.  
"I'm so sorry, I never meant to- I'm sorry," he said again. Blue just smiled.  
"I'm used to being falsely accused. Don't sweat." Remus looked at her, and for a spilt second he thought he saw he eyes flicker bright blue.  
  
"I'm going to apologise in advance," Remus suddenly said.  
"For what?"  
"For this," he said as he leaned and their lips collided. As her lips brushed over his, he thought he would be able to stay like this forever. But Blue pulled away breathless and stared at him.  
"You have to stop apologising," she said before moving closer towards him and locking lips again. She was in complete heaven as his tongue slid into her mouth and he stroked the side of her face gently. When Remus pulled away for air, they rested their foreheads against each other's and both smiled.  
"I have to go talk to James, I feel really bad," he whispered.  
"Okay," Blue sighed. Remus stood up and offered Blue a hand to help her up. They walked back to the castle, hand-in-hand and when the reached the common room. James was sitting alone, polishing his broom. Blue gave him and encouraging smile as she disappeared up the winding stairs to the girls' dormitory.  
  
"James," he said as he sat down. James looked up quickly and forced a smile.  
"I-I was wrong. About a lot of things," Remus began. James frowned at him, confused.  
"I believed Snape, over two of my best friends. And I'd understand if you're angry. I would be too. But, Blue explained everything to me and- well I'm sorry James." James smiled and threw down his cloth to do what looked like, a special handshake between two good friends.  
"We gave Malfoy and Snape quite a run for their money, you should've seen Blue!" James said, now happy he could laugh with his friend. "She pointed her wand at Snape and he looked like he was going to cry for his mummy!"  
"My girlfriend's quite something huh?" Remus waited for James' expression to change and his mouth dropped open a little.  
"Your- your what? Since when!"  
"Since a few minutes ago, I think. I still have to confirm with her though!" James laughed as Remus continued.   
"What did Sirius say about everything?" he asked anxiously.  
"Sirius? He forgot about everything when we ate breakfast, then he saw Arabella and well, you know how it is!"   
"So where is he?"  
"Still down in the hall, eating breakfast!" James and Remus laughed loudly, and at that moment they both realised there was nothing better than a good dose of friendship for the soul.   
  
  
*Author's Note* What can I say besides…this story is taking up a HECTIC amount of my time, it doesn't seem to want to end, but that's a very good thing!!! Anyway, please find time in your hearts to read and review, if you do, you're every author's dream. If not well, life goes on. The Harry Potter movie was FABULOUS! I think that now everyone is in love with Oliver Wood, (including me) oh I'm writing a story about the Scottish lad too, so look out for that! In the meantime, enjoy reading into the lives of MWPP and the rest of the gang! :) 


	15. Formal Matters

Even thought it was still a month away, Blue was worried about the Quidditch season. The first match of the season was against Slytherin and Philip had been working them extra hard because he thought they needed all the practice they could get. And he couldn't have been more right. Blue felt much better knowing that three of her best friends would be flying side-by-side with her. Even though she hadn't spoken to him in a while, Luke was still a dangerous factor. When he saw Blue in the corridors he always gave her a smile and the occasional hello, but Blue couldn't help but feel anxious about him. On the up side, her past few weeks with Remus had been so fun and exhilarating, that when she was with him, the name Luke didn't even exist. They had become quite the outgoing couple, and it had been more than once that Filch had caught them strolling around the grounds at night. Today was one of those days that she couldn't get Remus out her mind. The day had gone quite well and the last lesson was Potions, and as everyone added ingredients to their simmering cauldrons; Blue was trying to make out what Remus was mouthing to her from across the smelly dungeon.  
  
"Miss Adams," Blue heard Professor Baldwin's slimy voice coo from his desk at the front of the dungeon.  
  
"Yes Professor," she smiled.  
  
"What is so important that you have the audacity to whisper to Mr Lupin from half way across this classroom." He looked at her and raised his thick eyebrows. To his surprise Blue smiled.  
  
"I wanted him to show me how to slice the catfish livers properly," she said in a sugary voice. Professor Baldwin looked from Blue to a smug looking Remus and waved his hand as if giving them permission. Remus walked over to Blue and as he leaned over her desk, Blue was sure she heard some kind of disapproving snort from Lily. Arabella smiled and she poked Kendra in the ribs. They both looked away when Remus looked over at them.  
  
"So," he said focusing completely on Blue again. "You wanted me to show you how to slice these properly." He glanced at the cat livers and gave them a funny look. He put his right hand on top of Blue's hand that was holding the knife and placed it on the end of the liver. With one swift motion he moved her hand and cut the liver into it's first piece. She shivered as he tightened his grip on her hand. He leaned in closer and she could feel his breath on the side of her neck. She swallowed hard as goosebumps spread up her arm. She was sure that he was now blowing hot air onto her neck on purpose. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then suddenly, Remus stopped moving her hand and she was jolted out of a miniature fantasy.  
  
"And that," he whispered in her ear, "is how you do it properly." Blue looked down and realised he was finished.  
  
"Oh. Thanks," she replied, still trying to regain her composure. Remus winked at her as he strolled back to his seat, and Arabella who saw this, smiled mischievously at Blue. Lily just raised her eyebrows; disorderly conduct in class was what annoyed her the most, especially when it took place next to her. Blue tried to pay attention for the rest of the lesson, but was too busy thinking about Remus and threw to many pieces of catfish liver into her cauldron. As the whole concoction began to smoulder over, Professor Baldwin sternly ordered nobody to touch it just encase of the repercussions. That's the last time I don't pay attention in class, Blue thought to herself.   
  
"Quite a show you put on there in Potions," Sirius said, slinging an arm over Blue's shoulders, as they walked to their next lesson.  
  
"Thank you for that Sirius. As if I didn't get it enough from Professor Baldwin about littering the floor with reddish goo, but hearing it from you makes me see it in a whole new light," she said sarcastically and Sirius laughed.  
  
"That's not what I was talking about," Sirius said assumedly and as Blue looked at him and he winked back.   
  
"Oh, I see," she said, blushing furiously.  
  
"What would I do without you?" Sirius chuckled and Blue looked confused at him.  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"You brighten up my day."  
  
"I believe that's my line," Remus said, squeezing in between Blue and Sirius.  
  
"Hey, don't let me stop you!" Sirius exclaimed as he made room for Remus.  
  
"Have we got practice this afternoon?" Blue asked suddenly and Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
"Did you even have to ask? Philip is being a real- this is where I leave you, enjoy Astronomy," Sirius said before disappearing into the Muggle Studies classroom.  
  
"Sirius is right, Philip is working us more than normal."  
  
"Well you can't blame him can you? I mean the first match of the season and he's playing against Lu- his brother," Blue paused as she decided against using Luke's name. As if Remus sensed it, he put a hand on her back and rubbed it soothingly.  
  
"You still anxious to be around him?" he asked concerned.  
  
"No," Blue said quickly, not wanting to get onto the subject of Luke. "I just really don't want to fall off my broom." Remus and Blue both burst out laughing, as they climbed what seemed like endless staircases to the Astronomy tower.   
  
When they reached Professor Everingham's classroom she welcomed them with a smile and then a very good announcement.  
  
"Afternoon to all of you. I just want to tell you all how extremely pleased I was with your oral presentations. You all received excellent marks." She looked at Blue and Remus and smiled. Their presentation had been quite extraordinary when they conjured up moving figures of Gemini while explaining how it all fitted together. Their history presentation was accompanied by little moving figures that kept jumping around the classroom. Professor Everingham had been very pleased when one shadowy silver Greek God had paid her a compliment that made her blush.  
  
"It is also my extreme pleasure to announce," Professor Everingham continued, "that Peter Nettle will be coming to stay at Hogwarts as Professor Dumbledore's personal guest." Murmurs of surprise and excitement spread over the class and they all began to whisper. Blue looked at Remus, whose eyes were fixed on Professor Everingham in great delight.  
  
"Who's Peter N-"  
  
"That's not all," Professor Everingham added and now a very wide smile spread across her face. "Before the first Quidditch match of the season, there will be a formal occasion that Professor Dumbledore had arranged for Peter Nettle."   
  
Formal occasion? Blue wondered and she suddenly got a very strange image of everyone sitting in complete silence wearing stuffy dress robes, it sounded, well- very formal! As if sensing Blue's thoughts, Professor Everingham smiled and whispered,  
  
"I give these kind of formal occasions two thumbs up," Blue exhaled, if Professor Everingham gave a formal occasion the stamp of approval it was bound to be fun.   
  
"So I think," she said, turning to the class again, "that in light of this, a free lesson is in order." Everyone took this news very well and the rest of the lesson was spent discussing the 'formal occasion' and Peter Nettle.  
  
"So tell me who this guy is?" Blue turned to ask Remus.  
  
"You don't know who Peter Nettle is?" Remus asked her dumbstruck.  
  
"No, am I supposed to?"  
  
"He's only the best Beater to play for England since Stanley Kenworth, and he's coming here," Remus said in an admiring tone.  
  
"Okay, so he's a big shot Quidditch player, but-"  
  
"I wonder why he's coming here?" James said to Remus, cutting Blue off suddenly.  
  
"Probably a really good friend of Dumbledore's if he's organising a 'formal occasion' for him."  
  
"I am still here," Blue said annoyed and Remus knocked his shoulder gently against hers.  
  
"How could I forget?" he smiled and she got a little embarrassed when James grinned at her.   
  
"So a formal occasion, should be good, considering the last time was nice."  
  
"Yeah but James, the last time we were in second year and not allowed to go," Lily reminded him and he grinned.  
  
"Yeah some of us," he replied mischievously looking at Remus and Lily's mouth fell open a little as everything fell into place.   
  
"You went!"  
  
"Of course we did. It was brilliant, hey Remus!" James said smugly and Remus tried to play down the topic, sensing Lily's growing annoyance.  
  
"It was okay."  
  
"Okay? Remember when Sirius put that bat wing into-"  
  
"Do we have to dress up?" Blue asked changing the subject and Lily's ears pricked up at this.  
  
"I hope so! Oh that's going to be fun!" Lily said, instantly forgetting about James and Remus' escapades  
  
"Yeah. Arabella's going to love this."  
  
"Promise us, no funny business at this formal occasion, okay?" Lily told James sternly and his mouth turned into a small grin.  
  
"Us, never!" James exclaimed indignantly and Lily turned again suddenly to Blue.  
  
"Do you think we'll need dates?" she asked and James got a look of shock on his face, elbowing Remus immediately in the side.  
  
"Uh- we have to go, see you two later," James said, pulling on Remus' robes and he smiled quickly before the two boys disappeared out the room.  
  
"What was that all about?" Lily asked confused, turning to Blue who shrugged.  
  
"If I knew, maybe the entire male race would be easier to understand," Blue whispered to Lily before they both erupted into a fit of giggles.   
  
Author's Notes Well, I must admit it's been a very long time since I've updated, and it's about bloody time!! So as always, J.K. owns everything and I cant WAIT for the third movie to come out. Please find time in your busy schedules to review, I'd be eternally grateful. New chapter out very soon, I promise!! 


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